Introduction
The Great Pacific Gyre refers to marine debris found in the North Pacific Ocean. It can as well be described as litter that finds its way to the water bodies, especially the seas and oceans. It affects waters from the North American West Coast to Japan. It consists of the Western Garbage Path found near the Asian nation as well as the Eastern Garbage Patch that is between California and Hawaii in the United States. The areas of spinning debris are connected by the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone, which is north of Hawaii by a few kilometers. That place is where cool water from the Arctic links with warm water from the South Pacific. This paper examines the problem of the Great Pacific Gyre, its effects on the indigenous population, and approaches to fix it.
Discussion
Background Information
The whole Great Pacific Garbage Patch is surrounded by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) describes the gyre as an extensive system of swirling ocean currents (Lebreton et al., 2018). However, it defines a garbage patch as a vortex of plastic waste as well as debris dilapidated into tiny particles in a water body. The gyre forms as a result of several currents moving in a clockwise direction around a zone of almost eight million square miles. These include the North Equatorial, California, North Pacific, and Kuroshio currents.
The spot at the gyre’s center seems to be stables as well as calm. The circular movement of the patch leads debris into this spot from where it is trapped. For instance, a plastic cup thrown into the water on the coast of California is moved by the California current to Mexico. From there, it catches the North Equatorial current crossing the great Pacific (Lebreton et al., 2018). On the coast of Japan, the cup travels north on the powerful Kuroshiro current. Lastly, from there, it moves eastward on the North Pacific current. The smooth-rolling vortexes of the Western and Eastern patches slowly drag the object.
The debris’ quantity accumulates in the Great Pacific Patch due to a large portion of it not being biodegradable. For instance, the majority of plastics do not decompose but turn into small and smaller pieces. For most individuals, the concept of a garbage patch raises the image of a trash island above the waters of the ocean (Gibbs et al., 2019). In actuality, the patches almost entirely consist of tiny particles of plastics named microplastics. These cannot usually be visible to the naked eye but exist. The satellite images fail to highlight a huge collection of garbage.
The tiny plastic particles can make the water seem as a cloudy soup that is intermixed with greater objects, for example, shoes and fishing equipment such as nets. The seafloor below the patch may as well be an underwater heap of trash. Ecologists and oceanographers discovered in recent times that around seventy percent of marine debris sinks to the ocean’s bottom (Lebreton et al., 2018). Whereas the existence of the patch was foretold by climatologists and oceanographers, Charles Moore, a captain of a racing boat, is the one that found the trash vortex. He was sailing to California from Hawaii after a competition in a yachting race. Alongside his crew, as they were moving across the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, he noticed many plastic pieces surrounding his ship.
Behaviors and Practices That Led to The Great Pacific Gyre
Human beings are the ones responsible for the creation of this problem affecting the ocean. Individuals create, consume as well as carelessly throw plastics into the water. As they reach the shoreline, the current directs them back into the ocean, and the convergence of currents spin the plastics into a single spot. Experts have claimed that everyone is guilty of the trash heap found in the Pacific Ocean. When one consumes and discards items, they are responsible for a portion of the plastic that finds its way into the oceans and seas, regardless of their location. Every river leads to a sea, and the trash that is thrown into a stream in the middle of North America can be found in the ocean within no time.
Plastic waste is approximated to consist of eighty percent of marine pollution. About fourteen million tons of plastic in quantity find their way into the ocean annually (Gibbs et al., 2019). On the shoreline of all continents, this type of trash is found with more waste near tourist destinations notorious for high numbers of visits. The primary sources are land-based, coming from urban as well as stormwater runoff, littering, sewer overflows, inadequate waste disposal, industries, and construction. The behaviors and practices of the people that have resulted in the problem in discussion fail to embrace future orientation and personal control over the environment.
Future orientation refers to when an individual’s action is aimed to benefit in the long term and other generations to come. Producing plastics in industries, using them, and then throwing them into water bodies shows that people are not thinking about the future of the ocean, marine life, and human life too. When the plastics remain on top of the patch, they may trap some animals that are unsuspecting which may lead to their death (Lebreton et al., 2018). Apart from that, they may consume microplastics which are formed after the breakdown of plastics into smaller particles. When the fish are harvested by humans, the microplastics are inside their bodies, and on consumption, they affect the quality of life for the people.
Lastly, a large collection of trash at the ocean ruins its aesthetic value, which might result in fewer tourist visits. The tourism sector has thrived, but this may be impossible in the future due to crises such as the Great Pacific Gyre. The behaviors and practices of humans that have led to the existence of the Great Pacific Gyre have failed to show personal control over the environment. Protecting the surroundings from harm means that someone has realized their social responsibility. Every individual is obligated to monitor their activities, understand how they impact themselves and others, and choose ways to prevent harm. Until this point, humans have not had success with regard to that.
Ways The Behaviors and Practices Are Comparatively Different Than Those of Indigenous Cultures
The world currently is in an Anthropocene which is a geological era in which people’s behaviors are the cause of the ecological changes experienced in the world. It is safe to state that the issues started as a result of the industrial revolution that started in the late eighteenth century. From Europe, the phenomenon expanded and was quickly adopted in other parts of the world. The plastics that can be found as the main litter in the ocean are made in factories and dumped by humans in the water bodies (Lebreton et al., 2018). There are even industries that directly direct their waste out to the seas after industrial processes. This goes to show that nowadays, people do not see it as a personal responsibility to protect the environment, which is different from the indigenous cultures.
People in the past embraced the environment as it was their only source of livelihood. Protecting it for a long time meant to them that they could benefit, and generations to come might as well enjoy what nature offers. They aimed to give the animals a great surrounding that encourages their multiplication. This is different from what is happening today since humans have discovered other ways of surviving, for example, working in factories and farming.
Additionally, in the past, individuals did not have the wealth many people have now. A safe environment was the only gift that was transferred from one generation to another. Protection of the ocean and other water bodies was guaranteed since they did not want to fail those coming after them. Nowadays, people have money that they feel will help other generations to come. By doing this, they fail to show personal control over the environment (Gibbs et al., 2019). Lastly, people in the past or the indigenous cultures held one another accountable for their actions. There were rules set in the event someone performed activities that threatened their livelihood. They would follow the rules, and those rebelling against them were treated as outcasts which is not the same case as today. Individuals continually consume and buy products from brands that are responsible for much damage to the water bodies. From an evolutionary perspective, they are different due to the emergence of industrialization that has resulted in people of today to embrace trade and its benefits more than care for environment.
Cultural Adaptations that Have Evolved in the Pacific
Technology
There has been a digital transformation that has happened on the Pacific islands over the few years. Some of the fastest-growing mobile phone uptake rates are altering how the people living there learn, communicate, and engage in various activities. Numerous factors are behind the change that has been witnessed by the people of today. In 2003, the telecommunication sector underwent reform as well as deregulation, thus fueling a boost in the use of the mobile phone.
The ICT revolution in the Pacific areas is sustained as well as accelerated by the youth in the region. A fifth of the populace which is estimated to be two million, ranks between fifteen to twenty-four years (Park et al., 2021). The mobile devices influx has happened simultaneously with the rise of social media interaction. This has enabled the people in the region to acquire information from other parts of the world concerning how to live better. For instance, in the past, indigenous cultures relied only on knowledge transferred from previous generations. This does not need to be the case, especially in areas such as healthcare, commercial activities, and politics. With a few clicks on a computer, it is now possible for individuals now to get data on any area that impacts their life. Using information, acquired via mobile technology, about the best treatment methods and where to find them, the mortality rate in the region has reduced significantly over the years.
Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Traditional ecological knowledge can be described as the accumulated body of insight, belief, and practice, changed by adaptive procedures and transferred from one generation to another concerning the association between people and surroundings. It consists of the religious traditions of the indigenous people. Apart from being cumulative, it is dynamic as well since it builds on past experience and adapts to change. It is a trait that is associated with a society that has historical continuity in terms of resource utilization in a specific area. The foundations of the livelihoods of people in the Pacific region include environment and culture. More than ninety percent of the physical geography of the area is water (Park et al., 2021). For that reason, the cultural framework utilizes a canoe metaphor as well as a storytelling method to define their journey and where they would want to be in the future. Some of the community’s priorities are the promotion and protection of cultural heritage, strengthening institutional techniques to foster cultural innovation for coming generations, advancing culture, and integrating cultural wellness into sustainability plans.
Myths and Stories
Similar to myths and stories by other communities in the world, there are true elements with narratives shared among people in the Pacific region. It is believed that the traditional ecological knowledge discussed earlier is not just a tradition but a collection of adaptive reactions that evolved with time. Every society, scientific and prescientific, strives to make sense of the way individuals act or behave and to apply the insight for guidance (Park et al., 2021). Due to reliance on resources in the immediate surroundings for their survival, there existed strong incentives for people to embrace sustainability. They would not be able to mask this dependence with capital markets or fossil fuel subsidies in a globalized economy. Therefore, the capacity to nurture as well as sustain biodiversity was a selective pressure on the societies since the conservation and augmentation offered a survival value.
Kapu, Aloha, and Kuleana
On the one hand, kapu aloha refers to a way of personifying the sacred and a sense that someone needs to act in respect and reverence in areas known as holy. The concept has been depicted via the Hawaiian cultural edict that frames cultural ceremonies and practices. As the Kanaka Maoli spaces allowed settlers from outside and those that were informed of the ideology, developing ethics became a necessity for its continuity. Kanaka Maoli is a term utilized to portray ethnic pride and can be translated to mean a true person. Kuleana, on the other hand, is a value and practice translated to represent responsibility (Park et al., 2021). It emphasizes that there should be a reciprocation between humans and their surroundings. With this, it becomes possible for the community to survive long-term as nature continues to provide a livelihood for them as long as they protect it.
Indigenous Value Systems in Relation to The Great Pacific Gyre
The indigenous value systems have shown that to solve the Great Pacific Gyre, every individual should participate by acting responsibly towards the environment. Keeping the environment clean of plastics will go a long way in solving the problem. Additionally, the indigenous value systems teach that individuals should hold each other accountable. Through different rules and belief systems, everyone in the past understood their role in protecting the surroundings. This means that in today’s society, factories and industries that drain their waste into the waterbodies need to be stopped. They should be encouraged to embrace social responsibility, part of which is preserving and conserving the environment not only for their good but for the future generations to come. These teachings will help the larger world in resolving problems that seem impossible to solve.
Adaptive Strategies
There are numerous efforts currently globally at action aimed toward the reduction and prevention of marine litter and mitigating the effects, including initiatives by the G7 nations and the Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML). The latter refers to a voluntary multi-stakeholder coordination technique that has civil society actors, policymakers, the private sector, and the scientific community discuss solutions as well as catalyze actions (Park et al., 2021). There is as well the Honolulu strategy which is a planning scheme for preventing and managing water pollution and action to decrease the human health, ecological, and economic effects of litter worldwide.
The Honolulu strategy consists of three particular objectives to decrease litter in oceans, and connected to the goals is a cohesive collection of approaches. The first goal is to limit the quantity and effect of land-based litter as well as solid waste released into waterbodies surroundings (Lebreton et al., 2018). The second one is to reduce the quantity and influence of sea-based debris sources, including discarded fishing equipment. Lastly, decreased magnitude and effect of accrued debris on the shorelines.
The indigenous people are working towards educating themselves and others on the importance of preserving their environment. This ensures that personal activities that include using harmful products such as plastics are avoided. Groups are being formed among the communities to encourage education. In the meetings, the youth are empowered to get into politics to ensure that the people have someone they can use to represent their issues. Additionally, the use of mobile phones and social media emergence is helping young individuals to learn from other parts of the world and apply their insights in the areas.
Conclusion
On a personal level, the issue of marine littering or pollution has affected not only me but my family as well. Many people depend on the ocean for livelihood such as the majority are fishermen and women. The trade involving fishing, preparing, and selling fish in other markets is a tradition that has been transferred from past generations. Affecting the lives of the animals in the water body means that the humans on the land do not have their source of money. For the last few years, people have had to find other ways to make ends meet.
The situation has disrupted people’s vision of the future, whereby I had envisioned to scale my businesses to the global market. Instead, I have had to donate the funds, I had planned to use, for the purpose of cleaning up the ocean. Additionally, the plastics dumped into the waterbody find their way to the human bodies as they are broken down into microplastics which are consumed by fish people eat. This compromises the health of the individuals living in the regions. Apart from the negative effects of the issue, it has impacted the people positively as it has forced them to assess their behaviors and practices as it pertains to the preservation of natural resources. We begin to influence the population by sharing knowledge about the negative effects of failure to take care of the surroundings. We evolve from here by continuous learning on ways to capitalize on the natural resources available to us in a manner that will not exhaust them.
The communities, especially the leaders of the indigenous people, have realized that by sharing knowledge, they can influence others to participate in the restoration of a safe environment. The insight can consist of the past lives of people in the areas and how much the state has changed. By understanding the impact of the change, people become motivated to prevent more damage. This issue helps individuals to evolve in a manner that only accepts activities that consider the wellness of the surroundings.
References
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Lebreton, L., Slat, B., Ferrari, F., Sainte-Rose, B., Aitken, J., Marthouse, R., & Reisser, J. (2018). Evidence that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is rapidly accumulating plastic. Scientific reports, 8(1), 1-15.
Park, Y. J., Garaba, S. P., & Sainte-Rose, B. (2021). Detecting the great pacific garbage patch floating plastic litter using WorldView-3 satellite imagery. Optics Express, 29(22), 35288-35298.