Yours Truly, Ocean Plastics

We can't run away from the hell we have created for the ocean and that which we have created for ourselves.

For many the ocean is a source of income, therapeutic refuge, leisure, and above all a means by which we can all put food on a lot of tables. So it's safe to say the ocean is life. So, if the ocean is life to us as human beings, then why do we not care about the life inside the ocean unless whatever ends up on our table, or Guy Fieri's for that matter? We have put an estimated 5 Trillion pieces of plastic into the ocean and as if that wasn't enough we add a cool and calm 8 Million daily just because we can, but the thing with doing what you want without a gauge or a further thought is that there are consequences that arise whether we want them or not.

For instance, the toxins that are emitted from plastics either kill our favored seafood delicacies or even the plankton, among others that help clean up dangerous toxins. The truth of the matter is the plastic you disposed of ends up back on your table and fast forward it manifests as disease and as the one we all fear among many, cancer. We're contaminating the ocean and we're contaminating our food in the process and not just the food but the sea life that does so much more than serve as a meal.

We don't want to tell generations further down that "son, daughter, there used to be creatures called sharks" The larger countries economically bear the brunt of causation for this predicament we find ourselves but that doesn't spare any country the responsibility because the consequences affect us all. Countries like the USA and Canada have paid third-world countries and emerging economies like the Philippines and Vietnam to be able to dump their plastic refuse there through the use of geopolitical soft power.

Third-world countries on the other hand lack available infrastructure, suffer from rampant corruption, and lack the funds; this creates a scenario where they can neither keep their plastic waste away from the oceans nor implement the existing framework of laws that are meant to protect the oceans. The point is we all regardless of economic or geopolitical status contribute to these current predicaments and are bound to reap the consequences collectively hence the need to seek solutions collectively.

The only way to look at this going forward is through a private-public cooperation lens, and less through passionate geopolitical speeches or clever word play think pieces like this one, but furthermore action from stakeholders and us as the stakeholders to take action. First, it's important to note that the private sector will always chase profit above all else and governments will always chase political power and this has been a fact since time immemorial. The only way to fix this is to use these current facts to spur solutions and the private sector can be encouraged to participate by incentivizing cleaning up the oceans.

The 2018 Nike World Cup Jerseys were all made from recycled ocean plastic. They featured catchy designs and a popular one was the Nigeria National Football Team Jersey which sold out. Adidas did the same thing with Champions League Jerseys for Football Giants Like Manchester United. Incentives create innovation which in turn can be utilized by brands that command brand loyalty and emotional attachment in consumers. This so-called ill of capitalism which led to ocean plastics in the same place can, in turn, help us rid or reduce the load of ocean plastics.

Secondly, tougher laws can be put in place in order to force out plastic as an industrial and retail storage unit. Governments can set laws that provide subsidies to private sector entities to use biodegradable plastics like Hemp plastics which degrade in 73 days. Many other alternatives exist including those made from cactus. Finally, it's unacceptable that science has afforded us with innovation to churn out quality clothing made from ocean plastic and we have poor people struggling with what to wear.

We can subsidies fashion houses to create cheap clothing of high quality made from ocean plastics. Above all, solutions exist. We need to take urgent action and the more articles like this exist the more we are redirected not to go down the wrong path; otherwise, there would be no need for writers, scientists, and politicians who are raising concerns about climate change. It starts with you and me. What are you doing about it?