Pollution hurts

EDITOR: Andy: Natalie, today is a beautiful day for going to the beach, the weather man said the temperature would be 27ª and humidity is 80%. I think you should call Robert, Anna, and Lisa and let us have that picnic today at the beach.

Natalie: I just got off the phone with Robert, Anna, and Lisa and they would be bringing some snacks and food. I think we should start packing and we can leave home for 9:00 a.m.

Andy: I love the beach, it is a beautiful place to enjoy the golden sunshine, the sounds of sea birds flying over the ocean, the exquisite sounds of waves crashing on the shore. It is a wonderful place where you will find tranquillity to brighten your day, and make you feel as if you are in paradise.

Natalie: I agree, however, if we are not careful, we would be losing this pristine beach. Have a look on the other side of the beach and you would see a lot of plastic and garbage. When there is high tide all those plastic and garbage would end up in the ocean which would be very catastrophic to marine animals. Plastic is non-biodegradable and when they enter the ocean, they are broken down by sunlight, wind, and wave action into micro plastic. Micro plastics are usually mistaken for food by marine animals and when consumed it blocks their digestive system. This beach is a nesting site for turtles, and all this garbage and plastic would have adverse effects when turtles come to lay their eggs. Marine debris on the beach causes entanglement to juvenile and adult turtles. Fisher folk also depend on the ocean for their livelihood, can you envision what would happen to fisher folk’s livelihood if all this plastic and garbage were to kill a lot of the marine animals? Tourism is imperative to our economy, and tourists love our unique black, sandy beaches. All this garbage and plastic would deter tourists from coming to this beach.

Andy: I have a question to ask you, don’t you think the relevant authorities should put garbage bins at this beach for persons to dispose their garbage properly?

Natalie: I agree, garbage bins at the beach could solve the litter problem, but let us not wait on the authorities. If you are going to the beach and you have garbage, carry your garbage with you and dispose your garbage to the nearest disposable garbage bin. I think a lot of us enjoy littering.

Yesterday, when I was driving, I saw a man throwing garbage out of a van. A lot of the rivers across the country are looking like a landfill, and last week when I was exercising, I passed a nice piece of land and that land was full of garbage. This would be a habitat for rats, flies, and mosquitoes.

We have to do much better with our addiction to littering because pollution hurts.

Kimani Wiseman