By: Gr. 4/5 Boys @ Bayaan Academy: Awwab Azam, Muhammad Maarij Mustafa, Rayan Birjas, Rashid Shanvas, and Ahmad Dibo
In school, we learned that oceans are endangered. We would like to share with you some of the major reasons why we should be concerned about the oceans. Allah Almighty says: "Corruption doth appear on land and sea because of (the evil) which men's hands have done, that He may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return." Al Rum:41
There is a lot of lot of danger to the oceans, and we are all responsible for it, since we all want the products and services from the oceans.
One of the most dramatic dangers is an oil spill. Supertankers are giant ships that carry oil. When the sides of a supertanker crack open, the oil has nowhere to go but flood into the ocean. Oil is very dangerous to the oceans, because if a seabird or animal gets covered in it, it will get very cold, unless it is cleaned very soon. Also, animals can die from trying to clean themselves. Oil can also block sunlight, which may not allow plankton to survive. Plankton is very important to the food chain, so this could be hazardous.
Another danger to the oceans is overfishing. A long time ago, people could fish as much as they wanted. They thought the supplies were endless. Today, the end may be in sight. People have overfished the oceans so much that the number of certain varieties of fish that were once numerous, such as sardines and cod, have now shrunk greatly.
Another reason the oceans are polluted so much is because of the vast amounts of waste and sewage in them. A long time ago, people thought salt-water killed germs. So they dumped human waste and sewage into the oceans. Now we know that this is not true. Thousands of people have died from diseases from germs in human waste washed up on the shore. Human waste contains germs that can cause deadly diseases. Some of these diseases are Cholera, Hepatitis, and Typhus. Today, many cities treat their human waste products to remove dangerous germs. Unfortunately, others do not. Our oceans pay the price for this neglect.
Another human activity that pollutes the oceans is farming. Farmers use fertilizers on their fields to help crops grow. They also use pesticides to kill insects. Some of these fertilizers and pesticides run off into rivers and streams. The rivers carry the chemicals to the oceans, where they harm sea life.
Did you know that littering could be harmful to sea creatures? When people throw trash into the sea, chances are it will harm something. Seals get tangled up in plastic netting or balloons. Fish swallow metal pop-can tops. Coral reefs can be broken by cans, and other garbage. Many kinds of litter do notbreak or go away.
How do we save the oceans?
There are multiple ways we can save the oceans. For example, you and your friends can team up and clean the beaches. Or you can write letters to the government. Whatever you do, be careful, be determined, and watch out for great whites!