No water. No life. No blue, no green.

As veteran oceanographer Sylvia Earle so succinctly put it; “With every drop of water you drink, every breath you take, you’re connected to the sea. No matter where on Earth you live.” Covering over two thirds of the planet, oceans are vital for all life on Earth. Supplying 70 percent of all the oxygen in the atmosphere, regulating the planet’s climate and providing the food and livelihood of over three billion people, to say that oceans are important is an understatement to say the least. So, why are we humans so careless and reckless with what is essentially the life source of us all? In a nutshell, humans have believed that the vast oceans are invincible and its resources simply there for the taking. But, unsurprisingly, this attitude has taken its toll with the most devasting consequences.

Unfortunately, the threats are manifold. Horrifying images of turtles entangled in plastic bags or dead whales’ stomachs full of plastic waste have sadly flooded our screens and newspaper pages over the past few years. Scientists really don’t know exactly how much plastic is in the ocean, but according to Smithsonian Ocean, there may be some 244,000 metric tonnes already bobbing around on the surface and another 8.5 million sinking to the bottom of the ocean every year. This is one third of all the plastic produced and if present trends continue, by 2050 there will be more plastic by weight than fish in the oceans. A truly chilling fact. This projection is certainly not helped by the pandemic and the millions of items of personal protective equipment (PPE) which are unfortunately infiltrating the marine environment.

Only about 20 percent of this waste originates from ships and other marine sources, whilst the rest – like most of the damage to our marine environment – comes from land-based activities. Although taking up to 500 years to biodegrade, constant exposure to UV light causes these plastics to photodegrade; breaking them down into increasingly tiny pieces which leach toxic chemicals into the oceans and deposit micro and nanoplastics into the food chain and thus into our bodies when we enjoy our fish supper. Indeed, a study carried out by the National University of Ireland in Galway produced the horrifying statistic that 73 percent of 233 deep-sea fish collected from the Northwest Atlantic Ocean contained plastic.

Only about 20 percent of this waste originates from ships and other marine sources, whilst the rest – like most of the damage to our marine environment – comes from land-based activities.

As a small island nation, surrounded by water, Antigua & Barbuda has taken firm environmental measures by becoming the first country in Latin America and the Caribbean region to ban single-use plastics back in 2016 and introducing other actions to reduce the never-ending scourge of plastic pollution. On a global scale, Dutch nonprofit organisation, The Ocean Cleanup, has an ambitious target of cleaning up 90 percent of plastic pollution from the five ocean garbage patches, the largest of which is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch located between Hawaii and California. This humungous floating trash vortex covers a surface area three times the size of France or twice the size of Texas.

Through the creation of advanced technologies, the company is collecting accumulated plastics from the patches themselves, as well as stopping the inflow at the mouths of rivers before they have the chance to escape out into the wider ocean. Producing desirable sunglasses made out of the gathered plastic to raise awareness as well as essential funds, will ensure the organisation can continue their invaluable and inexhaustible work.

The greatest threat to the ocean, and thus to ourselves, is ignorance. But we can do something about that. It is time that we use our knowledge to good use to protect the oceans. Without them, we are nothing.

The most dramatic examples of ocean pollution are undoubtably oil spills. Their catastrophic nature hits the headlines and horrifies the world for very good reason. But less headline worthy, the constant dribs and drabs of chemicals from fertilisers used in farming or from sewage systems have an equally ruinous and accumulative effect on the oceans. Often seeping into local streams far upstream from coastlines, these chemicals eventually find their way to estuaries and bays where they enter the ocean ecosystem. Rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, they stimulate algal blooms, which upon dying, decompose and suck up oxygen on their journey to the sea floor, leaving the area an oceanic desert. There are now a reported 405 of these ocean “dead zones” across the globe, covering an area larger than the United Kingdom. With the majority of these zones being close to inhabited coastlines, it doesn’t take a genius to deduce that humans have had a hand in this. Thankfully, hypoxic areas can improve over time with better industrial and wastewater controls. But with only 13 coastal systems currently in recovery globally, it’s time for governments to take more action.

And the punishment of our oceans doesn’t end there – not by a long way. Starting way back during the Industrial Revolution when fossil fuels began to be used in larger quantities, acidification of oceans has been increasing. The world is now pretty well acquainted with the fact that carbon dioxide from fossil fuels plays a major role in global warming. But what is perhaps less well known, is how this carbon dioxide reacts with seawater producing carbonic acid and changes the balance of the ocean chemistry. Just a tiny increase in acidity is putting ecosystems such as fragile coral reefs in danger and putting others off kilter by creating a species imbalance.

The only way forward to mitigate both climate change and the acidification of the ocean is through the adoption of carbon-neutral energy policies, such as that planned by the government of Antigua & Barbuda, to achieve 15 percent of its electricity through renewable energy sources by 2030 and become carbon-neutral by 2040. However, saying all this, most marine scientists agree that overfishing is the worst impact that we humans have on the oceans. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has warned that over a third of fish stocks are being overfished. Instead of sustainable fishing by small-scale fishermen, destructive methods like bottom trawling are employed, which not only scoops up unwanted fish and animals that are simply tossed aside, but simultaneously decimates sea-floor habitats and ecosystems. And crucially, the overfishing of certain species doesn’t just damage the population of that species alone, but has a devastating knock-on effect all the way up the food chain. Although some governments around the globe have banned bottom trawling in certain key and sensitive areas, more needs to be done.

One of the most effective methods for protecting ocean life is through the creation of marine protected areas (MPAs), which are designated sections of the ocean within which there are limits on human activity. Unfortunately, with only ten percent of the world’s oceans currently designated as such and with evidence supporting a target of at least 30 percent to make a difference, there is obviously still a long way to go. Although the Caribbean region doesn’t currently have any large-scale MPAs (those of more than 100,000 km2), Antigua’s northern coast as well as some other specific spots have been designated as MPAs. In addition, a collaboration between the Barbuda Council and the Waitt Institute has created the Blue Halo Barbuda initiative which protects one third of the waters around the island by creating no fishing zones and closed seasons to ensure a sustainable use of ocean resources for both present and future generations.

The list of damage us humans are doing to the oceans is relentless. It paints a rather bleak picture of the future of our oceans and in consequence the future of humankind. As Sylvia Earle says, “the greatest threat to the ocean, and thus to ourselves, is ignorance. But we can do something about that.” It is time that we use our knowledge to good use to protect the oceans. Without them, we are nothing.