Pandemic Effects on Marine Life
INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH – point-form notes about how you might introduce your topic/issue
ATTENTION GRABBER:
- Marine lives are in serious danger and the Oceans’ health is deteriorating rapidly and we are all responsible for that.
- Covid-19 has increased consumption of plastic and we, in turn, have increased the Oceans’ pollution
BACKGROUND INFORMATION/ CONTEXT: (introduction to the topic)
- The oceans are the planet’s largest ecosystem
- It is essential for human-kind to keep these oceans clean and create balance.
- But, 10% of the waste globally are going into these oceans
- Covid-19 has furthered this predicament that humans’ have created for themselves
- Use of plastic have increased ever since the pandemic has started.
- Specifically, the use of face masks has generated more waste than usual, globally.
CLAIM/ THESIS – 1-2 complete sentences that meet the criteria for a strong argumentative thesis statement:
- If the situation continues and there is no intervention, the pandemic will take more than just human lives and this time, we humans will be equally responsible for the consequences of our irresponsible actions.
BODY
ARGUMENT #1 – point-form notes – your Topic Sentence should explicitly state your first Reason or Solution from your Thesis Statement. Back up your Topic Sentence with Evidence and then logically explain how your Evidence proves, illustrates, and supports to your Topic Sentence and Thesis Statement.
Topic Sentence (Main Idea): (introduction to your first main “sub-topic”) – the first solution*/ the first reason for your argument
- The ocean’s trash is rapidly increasing and the numbers are adding up to create trouble for the ocean and the marine lives. There are 5.25 trillion trash pieces in the oceans of the globe including Indian, Pacific, Atlantic, Artic and the Antarctic. However, scientists are finding it hard to calculate the damage these accumulations of plastics are causing.
Evidence #1:
- “…some four billion plastic microfibers per square kilometer litter the deep sea. Scientists call these statistics the ‘wow factor’ of ocean trash” (National Geographic, 2015).
Analysis (explain how your evidence above illustrates/ supports your Topic Sentence and Thesis Sentence):
- Unless the scientists can learn where all of the trash is accumulating in the ocean, how dense the accumulation is in the different ecosystems of the oceans and how it is degrading, they cannot calculate how much damage it is causing to the ocean.
- According to Richard Thompson, a biologist from England’s Plymouth University, the greater the concentration of plastics, the higher the potential risk is.
Transition Sentence:
- It is not difficult to summarize why so much plastic is ending up in the oceans.
Evidence #2:
- According to the Plastic Disclosure Project, which is based in Hong-Kong, “33 percent of plastic manufactured worldwide is used once, then discarded” While the world’s 85 percent plastic does not go for recycling (National Geographic, 2015).
Analysis (explain how your evidence above illustrates/ supports your Topic Sentence and Thesis Sentence):
- This statistic explains why the oceans trash is rapidly increasing, the plastic consumption has not reduced and recycling is not being taken as seriously as it should be taken.
- The manufacturing of plastics continues to increase but there is barely any solution to control the littering of plastics in the oceans
Conclusion Sentence (Link Argument, Evidence, and Analysis back to the Thesis):
- The statistics presented in the evidences above show that the oceans health is in extreme danger and it has in turn effected the marine lives as well. 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic has accumulated in the ocean. While plastic manufacturing is increasing, 85% of these plastics are not being recycled and they eventually end up in the oceans.
ARGUMENT #2 – point-form notes – your Topic Sentence should explicitly state your second Reason or Solution from your Thesis Statement. Back up your Topic Sentence with Evidence and then logically explain how your Evidence proves, illustrates, and supports to your Topic Sentence and Thesis Statement.
Topic Sentence (Main Idea):
- Covid-19 Pandemic has further increased the threat of plastic accumulation in the oceans. Due to the pandemic, the plastic consumption has increased by 80%. Specifically, face masks have become serious problems for the marine lives as they are being found with plastic straps wrapped around them. It has polluted not only city streets but the ocean as well.
Evidence #1:
- “Divers had found what Joffrey Peltier of the organization described as ‘COVID-19 waste’ – dozens of gloves, masks and bottles of hand sanitizers beneath the waves of the Mediterranean, mixed in with the usual litter of disposable cups and aluminum cans” (Kassam, 2020)
Analysis (explain how your evidence above illustrates/ supports your Topic Sentence and Thesis Sentence):
- The pandemic has largely contributed to the surge of ocean pollution which is already at a high-level of pollution threat with the usual plastic debris accumulating in its body
- Mask are floating around in the oceans like jelly-fish and gloves are scattered everywhere in the sea beds.
- After Ocean Asia from Hong-Kong found dozens of disposable masks in the uninhabited island of Soko, they raised their concerns for the marine lives and ocean pollution.
Transition Sentence:
- It is evident how the COVID-19 pandemic is serving to contribute to the ocean pollution and treating the marine lives. However, plastic use is not the only issue that is treating the environment.
Evidence #2:
- “In some U.S. cities, recycling programs have been paused, while parts of virus-hit Italy and Spain also put a hold on recycling” (Edmond, 2020)
Analysis (explain how your evidence above illustrates/ supports your Topic Sentence and Thesis Sentence):
- People are concerned that due to the pandemic the attention towards the “green issues” will be disrupted while the government focuses on the ongoing pandemic.
- Evidently, many countries have put their recycling on hold including U.S., Italy and Spain.
- Wastes are rapidly increasing due to people turning to online deliveries after the pandemic started.
Conclusion Sentence (Link Argument, Evidence, and Analysis back to the Thesis):
- The marine lives are largely being threatened after the pandemic as the use of plastic has rapidly increased, single-use plastics end up in oceans. “COVID-19 Waste” has become a concerning factor. Masks and latex gloves have polluted not only city streets but oceans as well with marine animals getting entangled in these wastes and dying.
- Recycling has been put on hold in many countries because of the pandemic which contributes to the increase in plastic pollution.
CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH – re-state thesis – point-form notes about how you might close your essay
Restate CLAIM/ THESIS in fresh language:
- The oceans are at a high-risk of getting further polluted due to the pandemic and the process has already started, if serious actions are not taken to control it, it will lead to serious repercussions for the ecosystem
Return to BACKGROUND INFORMATION/ CONTEXT:
- 10% of the waste end up in the oceans
- The pandemic has contributed to a increase of 80%
Return to ATTENTION GRABBER:
- Covid-19 is not taking human lives alone, it is now a large threat to marine lives and the ocean’s ecosystem and we are contributing further to the issue.
Leave your audience with a CALL-TO-ACTION or FOOD-FOR-THOUGHT:
- Now is the time to intervene and take the statistics seriously as a wake-up call before it is too late to make any difference.
References
Kassam. (2020). ‘More masks than jellyfish’: coronavirus waste ends up in ocean. Retrieved 27 February 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/08/more-masks-than-jellyfish-coronavirus-waste-ends-up-in-ocean
National Geographic. (2015). Ocean Trash: 5.25 Trillion Pieces and Counting, but Big Questions Remain. Retrieved 27 February 2021, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/150109-oceans-plastic-sea-trash-science-marine-debris
Edmond. (2020). How face masks, gloves and another coronavirus waste are polluting the ocean | Greenbiz. Retrieved 27 February 2021, from https://www.greenbiz.com/article/how-face-masks-gloves-and-other-coronavirus-waste-are-polluting-ocean