By Kimani Wiseman
Andy: Natalie, today is a beautiful day to go to the beach. The weatherman said the temperature would be 27℃ and the humidity is 80%. I think you should call Robert, Anna and Lisa and have that picnic today.
Natalie: I just got off the phone with them and they would be bringing some snacks and food. I think we should start packing and we can leave home at 9 a.m.
Andy: I love the beach. It is a beautiful place to enjoy the golden sunshine, the sounds of sea birds flying over the ocean, the exquisite sounds of waves crashing on the shore. It is a wonderful place where you will find tranquillity to brighten your day and make you feel as if you are in paradise.
Natalie: I agree. However, if we are not careful, we would be losing this pristine beach. Have a look on the other side of the beach and you will see a lot of plastic and garbage. At high tide, all the plastic and garbage would end up in the ocean, which would be catastrophic to marine animals. Plastic is non-biodegradable and when they enter the ocean, they are broken down by sunlight, wind, and wave action into microplastic. Marine animals usually mistake microplastics for food and when consumed, it blocks their digestive system. This beach is a nesting site for turtles and all this garbage and plastic would have adverse effects when turtles come to lay their eggs. Marine debris on the beach entangles juvenile and adult turtles. Fisherfolks also depend on the ocean for their livelihood. Can you imagine what would happen to fisher folks’ livelihood if all this plastic and garbage were to kill a lot of marine animals? Tourism is important to our economy and tourists love our unique black sand beaches. All this garbage and plastic would deter tourists from coming to this beach.
Andy: I have a question to ask you. Don’t you think the relevant authorities should put garbage bins at this beach for people to dispose of their garbage properly?
Natalie: I agree. Garbage bins at the beach can help solve the litter problem but let us not wait on the authorities. If you are going to the beach, and you have garbage, carry your garbage with you and dispose of your garbage in the nearest garbage bin. I think a lot of us enjoy littering. Yesterday, when I was driving, I saw a man throwing garbage out of a van. A lot of the rivers across the country are looking like a landfill and last week when I was exercising, I passed a nice piece of land that was full of garbage. This would be a habitat for rats, flies, and mosquitoes. We have to do much better with our addiction to littering because pollution hurts.
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When it comes to the environment, like most members of underdeveloped or developing countries, we are a nasty people yet ignorantly complain that it’s the members of developed countries who are the world’s worst polluters when their citizens respect their habitats far more than we do.
Go figure.