It is the ocean that gives us a new enthusiasm of living, a new dimension of life. The oceans create a feeling in our heart and this feeling gives rise to such an excitement which can never be explained in words. But today the situation is different. The destruction of the oceans has become a topic of huge concern. At present, the people of earth are losing natural resources from the oceans. Besides, it is creating an impact on our climate and our economy. So, we are seriously concerned about this destruction.

There are various causes of the destruction of the oceans. Some of the causes are natural, some of them are caused by human beings. Firstly, the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is increasing in our atmosphere and the temperature of the earth is rising day by day. Change in water temperature can directly affect the growth and development of the fishes and cephalopods. The polar ice caps are melting rapidly due to rise of earth’s temperature. Seals, penguins and whales are losing their habitat. Besides, Antarctic krill populations have declined. Many seabirds and mammals which were dependent on krill for food have been facing trouble for recent years. The oceans absorb 31 percent of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. When this gas is dissolved into the water, it forms carbonic acid. It makes the seawater more acidic and acidic water is harmful for the marine creatures. The most well-known example of a marine ecosystem at risk from climate change is the coral reef. Corals are extremely vulnerable to climate change because of their narrow range of physiological constraints.

Because of personal interest and luxurious life, people are polluting our environment. There are so many mills, factories and brick kilns that are being run all around the world daily. People are throwing away the wastages in the river. The flow of water along with filths come to the sea lastly. Thus the water of the ocean is being polluted at a large scale. The clear water is becoming turbid and marine habitants are facing danger. Unsustainable fishing is another cause of destruction. Too much aggressive fishing activity can damage the marine habitat. It leads to the loss of many fish and aquatic species. Accidental and normal operation of oil drilling and production platforms puts some oil into the sea that escape from the oil reservoirs which pollutes the ocean. Eutrophication is another basic reason. It is the process where the fertilizers from land are washed off into the waters. These fertilizers always contain phosphate and nitrate ions. When they come into contact with the waters, they form basic and acidic compounds which create intolerable environment. This type of environment cannot support aquatic life. Plastic wastages are harmful for ocean because it is an inorganic substance. It doesn’t rot easily and the dispose system is very complicated for plastic materials. In recent years, several plastic bottles and other materials were noticed in the coastal regions and in the water of ocean. It is estimated that up to 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in our oceans each year.  

The destruction of the ocean has some terrible results and we have observed some of them already. It is a matter of concern because of various reasons. They are-

· Oceans are full of natural resources as well as assets of our mother earth regarding natural beauties, environmental and economic purposes. If destruction goes on like this, we are sure to bear the horrible result in the long run.

· Degradation of coastal and marine ecosystems threatens the economic and food security of local communities.

· Many poor people live beside coastal areas and rely on small fishing for their livelihood. For the destruction, fishes are dying or migrating towards deep sea. So, they can’t catch fishes to earn their daily bread.

· Phytoplankton - tiny plant-like organisms that live in the sea – are responsible for at least 50% of the oxygen on Earth. They contain chlorophyll to capture sunlight and make the energy they need by using water and carbon dioxide, producing oxygen as a byproduct.

· The biodiversity of ocean is incredible. There are many fascinating deep water creatures. This biodiversity is very important for the nature because it helps to maintain the ecological balance. But due to destruction, many marine species have already been distinct and many species are on the verge of distinction.

· Coastal regions are major tourist attraction sites. The sandy beaches attract people. The picturesque view of the aquatic plants and animals play crucial roles. Whenever such animals and plants are rendered extinct, the beauty of these places is taken away. Then the countries have to contend with decrease in tourism activities.

· Storm intensity has also been increased. As the temperature of our earth is increasing day by day, we are facing many natural calamities frequently. We witnessed many tropical cyclones across the world.

Therefore, we can see that the destruction is creating innumerable problems for us. It has become a global issue for the sake of saving the earth’s environment.

We have to take some protective measures to save the ocean. It is true that saving the ocean is not an easy task to do. But if we work hand in hand, it will be accomplishable. Firstly, we need to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. In order to lessen the amount of these gases, we can use renewable energy instead of fossil fuels. We can make less use of our cars, air conditioners and fridges. Making the environment green by planting many tress is an extremely useful idea. As trees take in carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, they help us reduce the amount of this gas. Using plastic must be banned. Instead of plastic, we can use reusable water bottles and cloth grocery bags. Things made of jute can be a good option to consider. To prevent mixing of different kinds of compounds with water, we need to introduce a good and proper system of disposing hazardous materials. People must abide by the rules and regulations of proper disposing. Globally, many countries have decided to take action by implementing new policies and initiating projects that will help clean up the ocean and protect it from further pollution. The government of different countries are taking many vital steps and doing some crucial works for protection such as- cleaning up oil and chemical compounds, collecting environmental data for testing, fisheries management to stop overfishing, conservation of coastal lands with ocean habitats etc. While visiting sea beaches, possibly we can see filths and dusts close to the shore of the sea. We can work as a team to remove filths and dispose them in an environmental way. There are many regional, national and international organizations which are trying to curb in the destruction of the ocean where we can join there as a volunteer. We can also help them by taking part in several activities such as creating awareness, giving public speeches, preaching. The elite class of people can donate money to the organizations. Last but not least, the educated people need to realize the causes, results and preventive measures so that they can spread this knowledge to the mass people and make them conscious of the ocean. By connecting people with each other and ensuring the activities of the authority, we have to make it a massive movement. We are sure to become successful if we adopt the mentioned measures.

The ocean is related with us, related with our existence. The unpleasant truth is that our beloved ocean is being destroyed. We can’t let this happen and for this, we all should come forward from our own perspectives. We are connected with nature and it is our responsibility to keep the ocean, the most wonderful creation of nature, appealing and protect the marine creatures for the sake of biodiversity and marine ecosystem.