Why World Oceans Day Reminds Us to Ditch Single-Use Plastic

Every year on June 8, the world takes a moment to commemorate World Oceans Day, a UN-recognized event to consider how human behaviour is quietly devastating marine ecosystems. This day holds great significance for India, a nation with more than 7,500 km of coastline and millions of people relying on the ocean for their livelihoods.

What is currently the greatest threat to our oceans? The answer is "single-use plastic".

What Is World Oceans Day and Why Does It Matter?

In summary, World Oceans Day is celebrated annually on June 8 around the globe to raise awareness of ocean conservation and the ways human activity damages the marine ecosystem.

Although the idea was first put up during the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the United Nations formally recognised World Oceans Day in 2008. Since then, it has become a worldwide movement supported by governments, NGOs, scientists, and regular people.

The oceans are not an abstraction for Indians. The ocean is essential for the health of coastal communities in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Odisha, and Maharashtra. Millions of people's lives are dependent on what occurs below the surface, including salt pan workers, fishermen, and marine tourism operators.

How Is Plastic Destroying Our Oceans?

One of the biggest contributors to plastic pollution in the ocean is India. According to a 2021 study that was published in Science Advances, India is one of the world's leading emitters of plastic, releasing between 0.13 and 0.34 million metric tonnes into the ocean annually.

The volume of pollution is not the only issue. It's the type of issue.

The Worst Offenders: Single-Use Plastics

Plastic bags, straws, throwaway cutlery, sachets, and PET bottles are examples of single-use plastics. These can be seen everywhere in India, including railway platforms, vegetable markets, wedding banquets, and roadside chai stalls.

This is the reason they are so harmful:

• They are not biodegradable. For 400–1,000 years, the majority of single-use plastics remain in the environment, releasing toxins.
• They fragment into tiny plastic particles. Fish, drinking water, and even human blood now contain these little pieces (less than 5 mm).
• They get into the food chain. Marine animals can suffer internal injury and malnutrition when they confuse plastic for food.
• They damage livelihoods along the shore. Fish populations and tourism income are negatively impacted by plastic-choked coasts. 

The Crisis of Microplastics

In Summary, microplastics are tiny plastic particles smaller than 5 mm in size that are created from larger pieces of plastic after breaking down. Nowadays, they can be found everywhere, even in the ocean and marine food systems.

Some studies also found that marine species had microplastics in their stomachs. These particles damage the hormones of marine animals and also contain harmful chemicals. Additionally, these plastic particles end up in our plates through seafood straight from the ocean.

What You Can Do: Practical Steps for Indian Households

Ocean protection begins at home. Here are some of the changes you can make a change:

1. Replace Everyday Plastics

• When you go grocery shopping, use cloth bags (jhola/jute bags). Most of the kirana stores still give plastic bags; carry your own bag, and avoid using plastic.
• Replace single-use PET water bottles with steel or copper ones. 
• Instead of using thermocol and plastic disposables at events or at home, choose palm leaf plates or bagasse plates, which are readily available in the market and are also compostable.
• Do not use plastic straws; you can use paper straws or PLA straws.

2. Reconsider Packaging

• To minimise packaging waste, use nearby markets to purchase in bulk.
• Wherever possible, choose products packaged in glass or cardboard rather than plastic.
• Don't use single-serve sachets (shampoo, ketchup, fresheners): Although they may appear to be environmentally friendly, they generate tremendous waste.

3. Participate in Local Action

• Participate in or start a beach clean-up campaign close to your coastal city. There are a few organisations, such as Afroz Shah's Versova Beach clean-up movement in Mumbai, that showcase the potential of persistent civic effort.
• Encourage organisations like the Wildlife Conservation Society India, the Dakshin Foundation, and the Center of Marine Living Resources & Ecology (CMLRE) to work on sustainable oceans.

Why a Plastic-Free Ocean Is a Necessity?

Many view conservation of the ocean as an issue for the rich world. It is not. The total employment in the fishing industry in India exceeds 14.5 million (source: Ministry of Fisheries,2023). Food security and earnings in coastal India are directly threatened by ocean pollution, which lowers the fish population and pollutes the fish catch.

In addition to fisheries, marine tourism in India, from Goa to Andaman Island to the Lakshadweep Islands, relies on clean and healthy ocean ecosystems. In several areas, the number of visitors is already declining due to coral bleaching and beaches with plastic pollution.

The Bottom Line

World Ocean Day is more than just a day on the calendar. Every year, it serves as a reminder that the choices that we make on a daily basis, from our supermarket purchases to that chai tapris, at weddings, and at events, have a direct bearing on the condition of the oceans.

India has a culture, a coastline, more and more the legislative framework to take the lead in ocean protection. 

But what it needs right now is collective will: consumers, who refuse to buy things that don't need plastic packaging; companies, who re-engineer their packaging; and governments, who uphold their commitments

The ocean doesn't wait for ideal circumstances! Neither should we.