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Ocean, covering 70% of the Earth surface, controls the world ’ s climate, and is a habitat for hundreds of species, a major source of proteins for 3.3 billion humans as well as a place many of them depending on for their living. However, reckless development and the increase of consumption, wastewater from urban and plants, soil contamination from chemical uses, dumping waste from vessels and planes, and oil spills from ship collisions have made our ocean sick. This not only brings a great threat to the diversity of marine creatures and ecosystem, but also harms human health, and affects community economies including fisheries and tourism. Plastic waste especially has been blamed for the worst cause of marine pollution. Then, how does this waste enter the ocean, and how does it affect the ecosystem? Let ’ s take a close look at the seriousness and think about what we should do to solve the problem!   Plastic packaging flowing into the ocean and abandoned fishing gear How does plast...

Plastic is the most common and probably the most familiar material to us in modern society. Almost everything our eyes laid on is made of plastic. For every minute, 1 million drinks in a plastic bottle are sold and 10 million plastic bags are used in the world. During COVID-19, especially, the range of plastic usage became vast and its role has been more crucial than ever. The plastic products such as a facial mask, a single-use bag, and gloves protect people from the virus, and medical devices and protective equipment were helping those who are on the front lines of the batter against the virus. Birth of Plastic and Its Rapid Growth Plastic which originally means “pliable and easily shaped” has now become a word to call all kinds of polymers collectively. The very initial form of plastic was invented in 1869 by John Wesley Hyatt and it was Leo Baekeland who succeeded in making 100% synthetic resin named ‘Bakelite’, a material without any nature-derived molecules. The synthetic p...