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Executive Summary
Executive Summary
2.5% of all water on earth is drinkable freshwater, 1% of that water is easily accessible and 20% of that is contained within the plastic filled Great Lakes. 30 million people rely on the Great Lakes for their water needs, however many people are woefully uninformed about the danger that plastic pollution poses to our everyday life and the degradation of our Great Lakes. For this paper I want to delve into the current status of our Great Lakes, the effects of plastic pollution on both humans and the environment, the sources of plastic pollution, and how they can be addressed to reduce the amount of plastic entering the Great Lakes in both the short term and long term. The Great Lakes are integral to life as we know it, they provide water we rely on, much of the food we eat and enjoyment to millions of people. But plastic pollution is threatening the Great Lakes and because of our usage of its water and food, every person who relies on the Great Lakes is at risk. Microplastic are very dangerous to the health of all living things because of the chemicals found within plastic and the very lengthy amount of time it takes to break down in the environment.
Background
Background
Currently it is estimated that a staggering 22 million pounds of plastic enter the Great Lakes every single year. This is equivalent to roughly 1,300 standard sized school buses of plastic. It has been found that the plastic pollution entering the Great Lakes is mostly derived from; consumer products, manufacturing industries, waste from beach-goers, shipping, and fishing activities. These activities collectively contribute to the rising levels of plastic pollution. In a recent study on distribution and degradation of plastic debris along the shorelines of the Great Lakes they found Lake Erie and St. Clair shorelines contain pollutants such as pellets, plastic fragments, and intact products.
The potential sources of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes could include spillage from factories or transport, the intact products derived mainly from urban waste from major cities like Detroit. Many of the pieces of plastic enter the Great Lakes through our rivers and streams. Because of human pollution, plastic debris enters the water far upstream from the Great Lakes through rivers and streams and then travels down until plastic is deposited into the Great Lakes. Lake Erie by itself has 381 tons of plastic currently with up to 2,382 tons entering annually.
In Lake Michigan 1 billion plastic particles were found just on the surface alone, with varying size, posing variable threats to aquatic life. In a recent study of fish from three Lake Michigan tributaries it was found that a shocking 85% of the fish sampled contained microplastics in their digestive tracts. This study shows a staggering example of the impact humans have on the environment. Knowing this, it is safe to conclude that there is a high likelihood that fish caught and eaten from the Great Lakes transfer their microplastics to us which is very damaging to human health. Consuming these contaminated fish could have long-term health repercussions, including potential endocrine disruption and other serious health issues. As well as being harmful to human health, plastic pollution is a profound problem for many aquatic species and affects our aquatic ecosystems in a vastly negative way.
The Detroit River and other urban centers has been found to have the highest concentration of plastic nearing 2 million fragments per square kilometer, 4x what was previously reported. Surface water in the Great Lakes found widespread microplastics with high levels of plastic contamination reported across both sediments and shorelines. It has been found that fish that consume microplastics suffer from intestinal damage and other internal problems. Which can lead to decreased survival rates and compromised populations, further destabilizing the aquatic ecosystem.
Microplastic and other plastic debris in the Great Lakes have been the subject of many different approaches In the past, all with the goal of targeting the problem of plastic pollution. For instance things like Beach cleanups, legislation, community involvement, and new technologies have all been employed to combat plastic pollution and are still being utilized today. The strategies that have been implemented so far have worked and are commendable but there is still much more that can be done to help clean our lakes, We need to continue to innovate and expand our efforts, seeking out new methods and technologies that can address the root causes of plastic pollution and mitigate its impact on our Great Lakes.
Solutions
Solutions
While the problem of plastic pollution is vast there is still much that can be done to help. In the short term things like personally using less single use plastic, and learning about the materials you use and consume and how to properly dispose of them. In the medium term you can focus on volunteering at Plastic cleanup events and making personal economic choices to cut out the amount of single plastic you consume. These are both great ways to make a personal difference. While it's great to make a difference in the short term, great change takes longer. To make long term change, longer processes need to be taken: for instance, petitioning the government to make changes through laws and regulations takes an extended period of time. Additionally another possible change that could be made is the implementation of more recycling bins along the water in high tourist areas to decrease the amount of plastic pollution entering the water. Another option could be to increase Education and Community involvement with issues like plastic pollution. Work could be done to ensure people in the Great Lakes area are properly Educated on the dangers of plastic pollution and the effects it has on our aspects of life like providing the water we rely on, much of the food we eat and the enjoyment to the millions of people who visit our Great Lakes.
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