"Ocean is on fire!" For anyone wondering, yes it is Ocean! Ocean is water and water is on fire! Does that even make sense? Well, we are in 21st century and a lot of surprising and unbelievable things are happening in the world. But ocean burning in the fire is something which is very hard to even imagine.
Friday morning, that is on July 2nd, a well-known Mexican state-owned oil company reported a leak in oil submarine pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico. It was a 12 inch pipe line and the gas leak was massive. The gas leak caused the pipeline to catch fire. Now I guess even water can catch fire. Humans made that possible! Anyways the fire was extinguished later. The company said no injuries or evacuation were reported in the offshore due to the fire. Well, the company is just worried about the human injuries and the human loss. Of course, human life is what we all care about, right?
But what about the marine life?
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is not a new thing. Many oil spills and explosions have occurred there. The oil spill and explosion in Gulf of Mexico that took place in 2010 is considered as the largest Marine oil spill in the history. It took the lives of 11 workers and the company had to pay billions as the compensation. But its impact on the sea water and the marine life was unimaginable. It took away the lives of lacs of birds, turtles, fishes and many sea animals. Reports say that the wells' reserves are still leaking and it may continue for the next hundred years if it isn't capped. By this we can say that Gulf of Mexico is already a polluted place. And today, exactly a decade and a year after, the same place was on fire. Friday this place was on fire for more than five hours! Though the reports on the impact of this oil spill has not been released yet, we can imagine it might be very severe.
released by the oil spill disaster in 2010.
Oceans are not only useful for marine life. They play an important role in human lives as well. The ocean produces over half of the world's oxygen and absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere. Oceans host 80 percent of the planet's biodiversity and are the largest ecosystem on earth. Oceans also have a huge role in maintaining earth's climate. Over 90 percent of the additional heat caused by the global warming is stored in oceans. Covering 70 percent of the Earth's surface, they transport heat from equator to the poles, which regulates our climate. Without the oceans, world will lose 97% of its water and biodiversity.
A world without oceans is unimaginable. The very first thing we should do now is stop polluting the seas and oceans. The most devastating element of this pollution is plastic and oil spills. Plastic takes thousands of years to decay. As a result, they may end up as the toxins for fishes and other sea animals and birds. If the Marine animals are exposed to these toxins continuously, their respiratory system may collapse, they may die from skin allergies, their reproductive system may fail which might lead to their extinction. But ocean pollution is not only harmful for sea animals but also for the human lives. Consequently, the toxins of the plastic have entered the food chain, threatening the human health. If humans are exposed to these toxins for long periods of time, then this can result in dangerous health problems, which include hormonal issues, reproductive issues, and also damage our nervous system and kidneys. Without healthy oceans, life on earth may be severely challenged. The oceans are the life support system for all the living beings. That's because life on earth can go on without much land, but it cannot exist without an ocean.
Of course the undersea pipelines are necessary to transport fuel, oil and gas. But, Is it right to harm the marine life for our need? We are already polluting oceans in many different ways and now the ocean is on fire because of us! What should we do now? Spray some water on it? Or fight the fire on the water with.. WATER? The world is being destroyed right before our eyes and WHAT ARE WE DOING?
Vidhisha Gauthami G P
