Let's Learn About Pollution and Littering

What Is Pollution?

Pollution is anything that has a harmful effect on on the enviroment. There are five main causes of pollution: transportation (such as planes, trains, cars, trucks, and buses), power plants, oil refineries, industrial facilities, and factories. Pollution can also be caused by farms, cities, houses, and wood burning fireplaces. Another big cause of pollution is littering. When someone litters, the litter can get into storm drains, and eventually, into the ocean, where it can cause great harm to sea life.

How Can You Stop Pollution and Climate Change?

You can help stop pollution and climate change by doing a few simple things, such as: recycling; composting; turning off lights; using eco-friendly, biodegradable household and garden products; making errands all in one trip; and conserving water.

How Pollution and Littering affects animals:

Littering and pollution can cause great harm to animals. Animals can get stuck in plastic rings or bags. They can also eat little bits of plastic that have come from bottles that have broken down. Animals can also ingest harmful chemicals that get washed down drains and into ponds, streams, lakes, and oceans.

Not-So-Fun Facts!

~ Do you know how long it takes for litter to break down in the ocean?
» Paper bus and parking tickets: 2 - 4 weeks.
» Orange and banana peel: up to 2 years.
» Cigarette butts: 1 - 5 years.
» Plastic bags: 10 - 20 years.
» Foam cups and tin cans: 50 years.
» Aluminium cans: at least 80 years.
» Plastic bottles: 450 years.
» Fine fishing net: at least 600 years (much longer for heavier nets).
» Glass bottles: 1 million years.

~ Six million tons of debris enters the world's oceans every year, weighing about the same as a million elephants!

~ One million seabirds and 100,000 turtles and marine mammals, such as dolphins, whales and seals, are killed by plastic marine litter every year around the world.

Facts courtesy of Persueus

The World Wildlife Fund

Although pollution and littering harms the enviroment, organizations, such as the World Wildlife Fund, work hard to stop it. The WWF works on projects around the world to help people, animals, oceans, forests, and many more.

If you want to donate to the WWF, click here, or you can "adopt" an animal by going here.

Other Organizations That Are Helping The Enviroment!

~ Wildlife Alliance
~ IFAW
~ WSPA
~ African Wildlife Foundation
~ PETA
~ Animal Welfare Institute
~ Defenders Of Wildlife
~ Sea Shepherd Conservation
~ American Cetacean Society
~ Ocean Conservancy

More Information!

Here's some more information about climate change, pollution, and littering.

~ Climate Change
~ Pollution
~ Littering