Meghan Hodges
Pollution is one of the main threats to wildlife habitats. Animals are vulnerable to harm from air pollution, toxic water pollution, and plastic waste. Air pollution can affect wildlife in two main ways: it can alter the quality of their environment or habitat, and it can affect the availability and quality of their food supply. Similarly, toxic water pollution can contaminate water sources, affecting the health of animals and humans alike. Plastic waste is another major threat to wildlife, with plastic being ingested by or entangling animals, from zooplankton and fish to whales and seabirds.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Animals most affected by plastic pollution | Sea turtles, whales, seabirds, fish, frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, zooplankton, corals, seals, beluga whales, fin whales, harbour porpoises, beaked whales |
| Animals most affected by chemical pollution | Otters, polar bears, killer whales, harbour porpoises, raptors (e.g. bald eagles), bears, eagles |
| Animals most affected by air pollution | Insects, worms, clams, fish, birds, mammals |
| Types of pollutants | Mercury, heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), acid rain, oil, PFAS, DDT, dioxins, methylmercury |
| Effects of pollution | Entanglement, ingestion, starvation, physical trapping, altered living spaces, chemical poisoning, bioaccumulation, endocrine disruption, organ injury, increased stress and disease vulnerability, lower reproductive success, death, changes in behaviour and hormonal balance, DNA disruption |
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What You'll Learn
Oil spills and plastic pollution in oceans
Oil spills can harm a variety of marine creatures, including fish, birds, and mammals. They can also contaminate seafood, making it unsafe for human consumption. When oil enters the ocean, it typically spreads on the water's surface, forming a slick. This slick can break apart due to waves, wind, and currents, spreading pollution to open oceans, coastal regions, and marine habitats. Oil spills can also contain volatile organic components that evaporate, increasing the density and viscosity of the oil, and making it more resistant to natural flow.
Plastic pollution, largely stemming from poor production procedures and fishing practices, is another critical issue. About 6.5 million metric tons of plastic waste enter the ocean each year, with nearly all of it derived from fossil fuels. This plastic waste can be ingested by marine animals, leading to digestive complications, stunted growth, and death. Sea turtles, for instance, often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, their favourite food. Additionally, plastics like fishing nets can entangle and trap sea turtles, with six out of seven species now considered threatened or endangered due to plastic pollution.
Microplastics, a type of plastic waste, have been found in the stomachs of various whale species and other marine organisms. Seabirds are also severely affected by plastic pollution, with 90% estimated to have consumed plastic, leading to internal organ blockage and starvation. Furthermore, plastics can impact phytoplankton and zooplankton, microscopic organisms that play a critical role in carbon uptake, similar to trees.
Both oil spills and plastic pollution have severe ecological and economic consequences. Oil spills can disrupt human activities along coastlines and devalue the property market, making coastal investments risky. Similarly, plastic pollution can alter marine ecosystems, affecting numerous organisms through physical entanglement, ingestion, and chemical poisoning. It is essential to address these issues through improved waste management, reduced fossil fuel reliance, and the development of sustainable alternatives to protect marine life and maintain the health of our oceans.
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Air pollution from coal-fired power plants
The extraction of coal through mountaintop removal and valley fill mining destroys wildlife habitats and contaminates waterways. This practice involves removing the tops of mountains with explosives, pushing soil and rock into nearby valleys, and changing the landscape. It has affected large areas of the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia and Kentucky and has resulted in the destruction of mature deciduous forests, leading to the deaths of bird species such as Cerulean Warblers.
Climate change, caused in part by greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants, is also a significant threat to wildlife. Rising ocean temperatures and more frequent natural disasters are already impacting ecosystems and causing species extinctions. Additionally, the burning of coal releases carbon pollution, contributing to global warming and violent weather events, further endangering wildlife.
While renewable energy sources like wind and solar have been criticised for their impact on birds, the number of bird deaths caused by these sources is significantly lower than that caused by coal-fired power plants. The transition to cleaner energy sources, such as wind and solar, is crucial for reducing air pollution, improving overall air quality, and mitigating the impacts of climate change on wildlife.
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Chemical pollution in water
One of the primary sources of water pollution is agricultural activities. Fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste from farms wash into waterways during rainfall, leading to nutrient pollution. This excess of nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, acts as a catalyst for plant and algae growth, resulting in harmful algal blooms. These blooms produce toxins that are detrimental to aquatic organisms, including fish, seabirds, sea turtles, and aquatic mammals such as dolphins and manatees. The toxins accumulate in the bodies of affected creatures, passing along the food chain and ultimately reaching humans, causing various health issues.
Industrial activities also play a significant role in water pollution. Various chemicals and heavy metals, such as arsenic, mercury, and lead, find their way into water supplies. These contaminants originate from factories, industrial waste discharges, and even outdated water infrastructure. Once ingested, these toxins can cause severe health issues in animals, including cancer, hormone disruption, and altered brain function. They can also impair the nervous system, reduce immunity, and hinder the ability to reproduce.
The impact of chemical pollution on specific animal species is profound. For instance, otters in England and Wales have been found with PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in their bodies, indicating the presence of these harmful chemicals in the environment. Polar bears, reliant on their memory and senses for survival, are also vulnerable to the effects of chemical pollution, which can disrupt their behaviours and hormonal balance. Additionally, harbour porpoises in UK waters face an increased risk of infectious diseases due to the accumulation of harmful chemicals in their systems, leading to a staggering 41% increase in their risk of disease.
Furthermore, plastic pollution in water poses a significant threat to marine life. Sea turtles, for example, confuse plastic bags for jellyfish, their favourite food, leading to ingestion or entanglement. Six out of seven sea turtle species are now considered threatened or endangered due to plastic pollution. Microplastics, consumed by various marine organisms, have been found in the stomachs of different whale species, raising concerns about their health. Frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts are also highly sensitive to plastic pollution in freshwater habitats due to their complex life cycles and vulnerability to environmental changes.
The consequences of chemical pollution in water are far-reaching and devastating for aquatic life. It is imperative that we address this issue to protect the diverse range of species that depend on these ecosystems for their survival.
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Pollutants in food sources
Plastic pollution has contaminated the oceans, with about 11 million tonnes of land-based plastic waste entering the ocean each year. This waste is often mistaken for prey by marine animals, such as zooplankton, corals, fish, sea turtles, whales, seabirds, and marine mammals. For example, sea turtles confuse plastic bags for jellyfish, their favourite food, and whales consume plastic through filter feeding, a process where they take in large gulps of water and siphon out tiny prey like plankton. As plastic breaks down into tiny pieces, it is also consumed by smaller organisms and accumulates in the food chain, eventually reaching humans who consume contaminated seafood.
Microplastics have been detected in various food sources, including salt, honey, beer, and seafood. Humans may consume approximately one credit card's worth of plastic each week, and studies have found microplastics in the placentas and blood of unborn babies. While the specific health impacts of microplastics on humans are still being studied, they have been associated with oxidative stress, chronic DNA damage, and inflammation.
In addition to plastic pollution, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as PCBs, DDT, and dioxins, are synthetic toxic chemicals that persist in the environment and can accumulate in the tissues of plants, animals, and people. These chemicals move up the food chain, becoming more concentrated through a process called biomagnification. For example, the bald eagle population declined due to DDT thinning the shells of their eggs.
Agricultural sources, such as inorganic fertilizers and manure runoff, contribute to nutrient pollution in water bodies, leading to harmful algal blooms (HABs). These HABs produce toxic chemicals that threaten fish, wildlife, pets, and livestock. Studies have linked HAB exposures to the deaths of various bird species and great blue herons.
Air pollution from livestock facilities, power plants, and mining activities also impacts animals' food sources. These sources emit pollutants like ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide, which can cause respiratory illnesses and increase the risk of cardiovascular problems in nearby human populations. Additionally, irrigation water and dust from feedlots can become contaminated with pathogens like E. coli, affecting the safety of nearby crop fields.
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Destruction of wildlife habitats
Pollution is one of the main threats to wildlife habitats. Human activities have contaminated entire landscapes, altered and disrupted the DNA of wildlife, and destroyed marine life. Trash washed down rivers and city streets, as well as plastic pollution, is finding its way into the oceans by the ton on a daily basis.
Plastic waste can be found in various ecosystems, from mountains to water bodies, affecting numerous organisms through physical trapping, ingestion, altering their living spaces, and chemical poisoning. Marine litter is constituted mostly of plastics, with about 6.5 million metric tons of plastic waste introduced into the ocean annually. This waste mainly stems from poor production procedures and fishing practices, with about 10% of ocean plastic pollution from industrial fishing.
Sea turtles are especially endangered by plastic, as they confuse plastic bags for jellyfish, their favourite food. Six of the seven species of sea turtles are regarded as threatened or endangered, and plastic pollution is a major threat. Other affected animals include whales, such as beluga and fin whales, as well as seabirds, which suffer blockages and starvation from ingesting plastic. It is estimated that around 100,000 marine mammals, including whales, die each year from plastic pollution, and 1 million seabirds fall victim to plastic pollution annually.
Air pollution also harms wildlife habitats, with pollutants such as acid rain, heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and other toxic substances affecting the quality of the environment and food supply. For example, acid rain changes the chemistry and quality of soils and water, making water bodies too acidic for some animals to survive. Heavy metals such as mercury are very toxic to fish and can be transported long distances by air.
In addition, the ozone layer is being damaged by chlorofluorocarbons, causing destruction from excessive ultraviolet radiation. Grasslands, marshes, and canyons are being destroyed by solid waste landfills, and air pollution is changing plant communities, with stunted plant growth from atmospheric ozone affecting habitats and food sources. Birds are directly threatened by coal power production exhaust, which damages their respiratory systems.
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