Oceans under threat; You might be consuming plastics

Youth cleaning up beaches in the Coast region.

You might be eating plastics in your food if measures are not put in place to end plastic pollution in oceans. In a year about 300 million tonnes of plastics are produced. Unfortunately, only 9 per cent of it gets recycled.

It is projected that by 2050, we will have dumped more plastics in water than the available amount of fish, yet so far there are no scientific results of the effect of eating plastics in fish.

Kenya joined the rest of the world in observing world oceans day amid the coronavirus pandemic. The ocean day is celebrated annually on June 8 to raise global awareness on the benefit that humankind derives from the oceans.

Kenya in partnership with Portugal were mandated to organize this year’s event in Lisbon but due to Covid-19 the event was postponed.

The theme this year being “Innovation for sustainable oceans”, it is relevant as a precursor to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development which is from 2021 to 2030.

This simply means all United Nations member states have dedicated the years 2021 to 2030 for boosting international cooperation in research and scientific programmes to ensure that there is better management of the ocean and coastal zone resources at the same time reducing any maritime risks.

The oceans cover 71 per cent of the earth yet only 5 per cent of it has been explored.

According to Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the decade will ensure greater coordination of research.

Close to three billion people across the world depend on marine and coastal biodiversity to meet their needs.

Oceans termed as the lungs of the earth are critical to the survival of the human race since it absorbs about a third of the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by humans and it reduces the dangerous impact of climate change.

Apart from international research during this decade, countries will also priorities strengthening and diversifying financial sources, particularly for small island developing States and least developed countries.

It also resonates with the sustainable development goal 14 on conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources.

According to the head of the coastal marine and fresh waters at the National Environment Management Authority, Stephen Katua, oceans are life. Furthermore, there is a need to create awareness on the importance of preserving such resources.

“Most of the oxygen that we breathe comes from these oceans, they provide a livelihood to communities along the coastline. We have had many threats facing our natural resources such as pollution from humans and it is high time, we correct that, “says Katua.

“Watamu Marine Association under Kenya Wildlife Services are doing an amazing job to ensure that the beaches are conserved and protected, but it is also upon other stakeholders to come in and protect our resources,” added Katua.

Beach clean-ups are normally carried out at least twice a year but the whole process requires advanced technology to make the activity more successful.

According to Watamu ocean warden, Dadley Tsiganyiu, revenue streams in Watamu has gone down by almost 99 per cent due to the pandemic and now beach clean-ups are just but one of the measures they have taken to ensure that the beach remains clean and the locals get an earning.

“The locals depend on this ocean and during this pandemic period most of them have been rendered jobless. As a result, we have started cash for trash program where the locals collect trash along the beach line and they are given something small in return,” says Tsiganyiu.

According to Steve Trott, the director of Clean Oceans, through partnerships with local non-governmental organizations and the residents, the organisation has raised funds towards the beach clean-up process.

“The people who have come out today to do the clean-up come from different groups, we have women groups, youth groups among other self-help groups. Covid-19 has come with its own challenges but the bigger challenge is unemployment. Through the funds we raised under the cash for trash project, we were able to employ 440 people who would clear trash from the beach in a day and earn five hundred shillings,” says Trott.

He further adds, “We managed to clear 8,500 kilograms of trash from the ocean during the last clean-up. This provides a win-win situation for both the communities and the natural resource.”

With huge reliance in the water bodies by the growing population across the globe, doing away with pollution is a daunting task. According to Trott in the near future a permanent solution will be needed to solve the crisis.

“Once the coronavirus pandemic is over through Eco-world recycling, we aim to start paying for each plastic bottle that will be brought to the recycling plant. We will pay by the kilo and that is one way of reducing plastic pollution in the oceans and providing income to the community,” says Trott.

As per data from the United Nations, there are about eight million plastics that enter the ocean every year which poses a huge threat to the sustainability of the resources.

In 2017, the Kenyan government banned the use of plastic bags as a way to stop plastic pollution. Three years down the line, tonnes of plastics are still being churned out from the Indian ocean.

Flip-flops, plastic straws, and food wrappers are just but a few of what overwhelms Kenya’s shores and threatens the coastal life. During yesterday’s celebration which was held at Watamu in Turtle Bay Hotel, residents of Kilifi who rely on the beach along Watamu held a beach clean-up activity.

June presents a low season in the tourism sector but hotels still get something and employees remain employed.

Tsinganyiu says that during this time on a normal day without Covid-19, domestic tourism supports the hotel sector something that is not in sight right now due to the stringent measures put up by the government to limit movement within some counties.

For the longest time, the youths in Kenya have been left behind when it comes to conservation of the environment and marine life. Kantai Abala a youth who is part of the conservation warriors of the ocean narrates a different tale.

“World oceans day enables us as youths to see it from our own angle that there is a lot of trash that can harm this resource. We are made aware of the importance of maintaining good hygiene of the ocean since it directly affects us.”

According to Rose Obala one of the leaders spearheading the clean-up program among the women groups, dolphins are at risk when the oceans are dirty since they get caught up along the faulty fish lines and fail to move.

“The oceans need to be clean when dirt and faulty fish lines are present, creatures such as sea turtles and dolphins are caught up in the dirt making them unable to swim and resulting to the poor cycle of air in the ocean,” says Obala.

“As a mother, I relate very well with the cleanliness of the ocean because the ocean reflects on our economy and our survival. That is why we decided it is important for us as women groups to be taking part in such events since this ocean feeds us directly and a majority of the nations across the world,” adds Obala.

In 2018, Kenya held the first-ever Sustainable Blue Economy Conference which brought over 18,000 participants across the globe to delegate on a way forward by ensuring that the marine life remains healthy as well as ensuring the locals earn a livelihood in a manner that is controlled and sustainable.

According to the final report released in the conference under the theme the Blue Economy and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,

Science and research were highlighted as crucial for policy development, implementation and evaluation.

In addition, enhancing a global collaboration and creating an enabling environment

for investments is very key in order to harness the full potential of the oceans, seas, lakes and rivers thus accelerating economic growth, creating jobs and fight poverty.

The blue economy faces increased threats year in year out and now the entire ecosystem is on the decline in many countries and regions across the globe.

Some of the threats as highlighted in the report include; climate change, illegal activities at seas which includes illegal Unregulated and Unreported fishing, pollution and waste management, piracy and terrorism, destruction of marine ecosystems and management of resources in areas beyond the national jurisdiction.

In his address during the 1st sustainable blue economy conference, president Uhuru Kenyatta acknowledged that the country was experiencing the impact of climate change and could risk triggering rising temperatures that would flood and destroy large sections of the coastal area.

“We are already feeling the impact of plastics in oceans.  The eight million tons of plastics that enter the sea each year are transformed into microplastics that enter into the food chain and impact ecosystems as well as animal and human health worldwide,” said the president.

A report by the United Nations published in September shows that climate change is severely straining the oceans. The last five years have been the hottest with 2019 being the worst.

The report further shows that oxygen levels in the world’s oceans declined by 2 percent over 50 years, putting a threat to marine life around the planet.

According to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres in his address during the World Oceans Day, the oceans are becoming increasingly acidic, marine biodiversity and essential food chains are increasingly being jeopardized and plastic pollution has become ubiquitous.

“As we work to end the pandemic and build back better, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity and responsibility to correct our relationship with the natural world, including the world’s seas and oceans,” says Guterres.