Sewage is a major pollution problem. Untreated raw sewage, incuding excretment, condoms and sanitary items are pumped into the sea. Rivers run into the sea taking excess water and rubbish from the land. Society uses the sea directly as a dumping ground. Atmospheric pollution is another form of pollution to effect the North Sea. Air pollutants eventually are blown into the sea. The more atmospheric pollution we make on land, the more the sea is effected. Oil pollution at sea poses a great threat to wildlife. Oil comes from various sources. There are natural 'leaks' dischages of fuel oil from ships, spillages from oil refineries, spillages from oil rigs, tanker accidents and oil from where tankers have washed out their tanks illegally at sea. Sea birds get their wings full of oil and sink when their wing feathers cease being waterproof.
In 1977 a major oil spill from the Ekofisk oil field leaked 31,040,000 litres into the North Sea. In 1993 the oil tanker Braer spilled 85,000 tonnes of oil into the North Sea near the Shetland Islands off Scotland.
Maybe one of the most dangerous pollutants in the North Sea is chemical pollution. Many people do not see any harm in discharging warm water into rivers and seas. Deep-water dredging for minerals result in about 97% waste material being thrown back into the sea. Direct dumping could be improved by making laws which have tighter restrictions on dumping in the sea. Chemicals, again, need tighter restrictions. There are several international treaties to protect the North Sea e.g. The London Dumping Convention has banned the dumping of heavy metal and cancer producing waste into the sea and the Oslo Treaty has black listed chemicals that cannot be discharged into the North Sea. Also environmental organisations such as Green Peace have drawn public and government attention to enviromental abuse in the North Sea (as well as other seas).
"The North Sea IS! The North Sea serves Europe for gas, oil, fishing, transport (travelling across it) and recreational activities are based upon it.
"Since mankind first set foot in the sea it has muddied the waters"
The main problem is, that, even those countries in Europe that aren't bordering the North Sea still pollute it by river pollution and air pollution. By working together, Europe can ensure that the North Sea has a future.
