Water pollution has had devastating effects on the environment, which include irreversible effects on the ocean ecosystem. People often underestimate the importance of the ocean. They don't realize the damage pollution causes to the ocean and the thousands of creatures that inhabit it. Earth is a huge place, but resources are actually very limited and will not last forever; unless there is a balance. We must protect the resources we have so that they last until the next generation. Every time we throw away a plastic bottle, drive our cars and even burn millions of fossil fuels to run all these huge factories, there is a risk that it will pollute the ocean and ultimately affect the way we live. There should be stricter laws regulating human pollution, to protect our ocean ecosystem. The ocean is an abundant source of life. It is home to thousands of different creatures, is an excellent source of food, and provides Earth with about half of the oxygen needed to sustain life. (National Geographic) Pollution, especially plastic pollution, is a catastrophic problem. Ironically, plastic, a material designed to last forever, is typically used for things we tend to throw away. Each year, approximately one hundred to two hundred billion pounds of plastic are manufactured. Only 31% of this plastic is actually recycled. Biomass-based packaging estimates that 10% of this plastic ends up in the ocean each year. About 20% comes from ships and other platforms, and the remaining 80% comes from land-based sources, such as international waste dumps, winds or tides, regardless of how they travel. ocean. (Biomass Packaging Co., et al. )Plastic in the ocean does not biodegrade, it only decomposes in the middle of paper ......es Faculty. 2012. April 11, 2014. http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/health/case_studies/plastics.html “Ocean Plastic Pollution” Biomass Packaging Company NP web April 16, 2014 http://bomasspachaging.com/education/ocean- plastic pollution “Plastic Trash Vortex” National Geographic. NP web April 16, 2014 http://education.nationalgeogrphic.com/education/encyclopedia/great-pacific-grabage-patch/?ar_a=1 “Plastic pollution” Disney nature Oceans. Web NP, April 18, 2014. http://takepart.com/oceans/plastic-pollutionRoach, John “Oxygen Source for Half the Earth Gets Little Credit” National Geographic. October 28, 2010. April 16, 2014 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/06/0607_040607_phytoplankton_2.hyml “Solutions to plastic pollution in our oceans” Natural Resources Defense Council. March 3, 2014. Web April 20, 2014http://nrdc.org/oceans/plastic-ocean/default.asp