Trees and Oceans: Earth’s oxygen producers

ON planet Earth, oxygen is one of the basic components of life. All life forms – mammals, marine life, birds, reptiles and amphibians – require oxygen to stay alive. Most of us have learned that trees produce oxygen and that forests produce a major portion of the oxygen that human beings breathe. But it is estimated that around half of Earth’s oxygen comes from the oceans, with small phytoplankton that produce oxygen through the process of photosynthesis. With most of the planet’s oxygen coming from trees and oceans, it is important therefore, to ensure that Earth’s oxygen producers are not being cut down or polluted.

The most destructive forms of pollution include air pollution and water pollution. When the air that we breathe and the water we depend on to drink and grow our food becomes polluted, it causes infections, chronic diseases, warms the temperature, infects our food sources and in short – reduces the quality of human life. Around the world, countries are suffering from extreme forms of pollution. 83 out of the world’s 100 worst polluted cities are found in India, which is the 3rd most polluted country in Asia. But if deforestation and water pollution are the contributing factors toward a worsening quality of life, then tree plantation and ocean restoration efforts are the solution. 

But first, let’s learn how trees and oceans are the Earth’s largest oxygen producers.

How trees and oceans are the oxygen producers of Earth

Trees and oceans produce oxygen through the process of photosynthesis by which plants use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to create oxygen and energy. Trees produce oxygen through its leaves while oceans produce oxygen through oceanic plants, algae and some forms of bacteria that drift across the waters. It has been found that one large tree can supply four people with all the oxygen they will need that day, while estimates indicate that upward of 70% of the oxygen in the atmosphere comes from the oceans. 

How air and water pollution affect oxygen-production

In fact, almost all life on the planet is dependent on the process of photosynthesis. But activities that are harmful to trees and oceans such as deforestation, dumping toxic waste into the oceans and discarding plastics in water bodies hinder the ability of trees and oceans to produce the oxygen that sustains all life on the planet. Since both air pollution and water pollution affect the process of photosynthesis and hamper oxygen-production it is worthwhile to explore two ways to reduce air and water pollution and improve the quality of life: tree plantation and ocean restoration.

Here are two campaigns you can support that focuses on tree plantation and ocean restoration across India:

Tree plantation

Trees, and their forests, are known as the “lungs of the planet” for the oxygen they produce. Trees absorb and remove harmful pollutants from the air and trees also absorb excess water which prevents flooding, landslides and other natural disasters. Trees are also instrumental in fighting climate change since they regulate the temperature and cool the planet by absorbing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Trees and forests are also home to 80% of all land animals including mammals, insects and other life forms and the loss of biodiversity could have disastrous consequences for the life and future of all life on Earth. 

Mission: Right To Clean Air works with the organizations Give Me Trees, SankalpTaru, Say Trees and Turnstone Global to plant trees across India. So far, these NGOs have planted more than 30 million trees and with support, can continue their tree plantation drives. The process of tree plantation is much more than just planting saplings. Once planted, the saplings have to be maintained to ensure proper growth and a long lifespan. The teams start with site cleaning, pit digging, sapling procurement, manpower, tools and equipment, watering, manuring, mulching and other important aspects to make sure that the trees are in good health. 

Support Mission: Right To Clean Air

Ocean restoration

The oceans’ drifting and photosynthesizing marine plankton produce most of the oxygen in the atmosphere. Our oceans, which cover around 70% of the planet’s surface, also provide all the water we need to live – including rainwater, which we wouldn’t have without clouds forming over the oceans. It is essential to keep the oceans in good health since these massive water bodies contain more than 240,000 marine species, a significant portion of our food, provide livelihoods to over 3 billion people and absorb a quarter of the world’s carbon emissions, tapping heat and regulating global temperatures. 

Mission: Manage India’s Waste partners with Chintan and Garbage Free India, two organizations that have diverted 240,000 kgs of waste from landfills that eventually get dumped into our oceans. The NGOs work with local communities to reduce the amount of harmful and toxic waste that washes into oceans and rivers. By starting at the source level, these NGOs ensure waste is segregated in households so that the toxic combination of dry and wet waste do not pollute our oceans with hazardous chemicals. The NGOs also engage with local communities to encourage more practices such as recycling, composting and proper waste management. 

Support Mission: Manage India's Waste

Support these missions 

Life on Earth depends upon our natural environment. Mission: Clean India’s Air and Mission: Manage India’s Waste are two effective campaigns to plant trees and reduce the amount of waste that ends up in the oceans. To protect our planet and sustain plant and animal life well into the future, you can support these two missions that each work toward reducing air pollution, water pollution and land pollution. Pledge your support each month and do your part to make India’s air, water and land cleaner for future generations! 

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