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I've always been aware of pollution in oceans, and how huge and expansive the amount of plastic floating in the wide oceans. I also knew of the dying coral reefs, and how people have advocated to save these dying ocean treasures. This is the first time I've seen photographs of trash and debris embedded in coral reefs, littering everything in sight. It was actually shocking and a bit tragic to see how severe the damage was.
The article includes images of plastic bottles being lodged into coral, coral growing from plastic bags, which could gather harmful bacteria and basically magnet for harmful chemicals and bacteria. Plastic also diseases corals that consume it, as sometimes coral eat the plastic that attaches to it. It disgusts me honestly, to see how pollution and garbage in a supposedly natural environment like this, and brings to light how even individual decisions cause catastrophic damage.
If one person litters, and says "Eh, it's just one person. It won't matter.", it may seem just like one piece of trash. But if millions of people think like this, and accumulates over days and weeks, months and years, the amount of garbage that ends up in places that it shouldn't increases drastically. I've been to the river next to my apartment and it's vile, with floating garbage and other bits and pieces that could have been thrown away, instead of tossed in there. It's partially the reason why I've gotten a hand held net, to scoop things out every now and then.
These pictures are both a reminder and a wake up call. We need to care about our environment, but it's a shame that people only care when something pretty, cute, or endearing is at stake. However, we need to still be aware of the actions we take every day, and hopefully can salvage something so the future can be not as dangerously rocky and unsuitable for life.
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