Shocking photos that show the effects of plastic pollution - New environmental policies and shocking stories from media across the globe have been making us increasingly aware of the effect that plastic waste is having on the world's oceans, and in particular the creatures that live in them.

When we aren't faced with a physical problem right in front of us, however, it is hard to understand just how serious the reality is.

Take a closer look at the effects of our littered oceans on wildlife.

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In the news: Thailand - On Friday June 1, 2018, a pilot wale died after being found struggling for its life in a canal in Thailand. The animal was found to have 80 plastic bags in its stomach, and its tragic story has highlighted a growing global problem.

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The plastic problem - According to Getty, roughly eight million metric tons of plastic enter the world's oceans each year.

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The plastic problem - The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) predicts that the amount of plastic in the sea will overtake that of fish by 2050, if the current rates of pollution continue.

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The plastic problem - The problem lies in the irresponsible disposal of plastic bottles, packaging, and other products, which collect in the ocean and harm both sea creatures and birds.

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The plastic problem - Ocean plastic kills wildlife who get caught in the litter or ingest it, mistaking it for food.

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The plastic problem - As the litter breaks down over hundreds of years into "microplastics," it also ends up being eaten by fish and other sea creatures, and eventually enters the human food chain.

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Global issue - One hundred and ninety four UN countries signed a resolution in December 2017 to reduce microplastics and marine litter in the sea.

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Global issue - Rwanda was early to the war on plastic. It actually banned plastic bags back in 2008.

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Global issue - The UK will ban plastic bags, stirrers, and Q-tips later in 2018.

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Global issue - France announced a total ban on plastic cutlery, plates, and cups in 2016, to be effective as of 2020. Kenya also banned plastic bags in 2017, according to Global Citizen.

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Ocean plastic and wildlife - But while human actions take effect, this is the terrifying reality of animals today living in litter-infested oceans.

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Africa - A pig scavenges through piles of plastic trash on the shoreline.

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Seabirds - A seagull rifles through the contents of a discarded coffee cup on a beach.

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Indonesia - Two boys watch the carcass of a dead whale washed up on Bintan Island in 2014. The beaching of unidentified species is rare here.

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Brazil - Thousands of dead fish were washed up in the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, Rio de Janeiro, in March 2013. It is believed this was the result of a drop in oxygen levels in the water due to pollution.

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Sri Lanka - A Risso's dolphin darts away through the waters with plastic bags caught on its tail.

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Turtle - A sea turtle trapped in a discarded fishing net struggles to get free.

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Russia - A three-year-old female polar bear plays with a plastic Coca-Cola bottle in a zoo in Russia.

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Seal - An injured seal fights for its life after it is found with a plastic Frisbee caught around its neck.

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Thailand - A hermit crab uses a discarded piece of plastic as a shell.

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Beached - Dead fish wash ashore amid hundreds of pieces of trash.

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Ukraine - A seagull holds a prized plastic bag in his beak.

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Asia - A coconut octopus seeks refuge in a broken glass bottle.

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Brazil - A dead humpback whale washed up on the shores of Rio de Janeiro in November 2017. The cause of death was unknown.

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Germany - A Nothern Gannet picks out pieces from its nest, which is tangled with fishing wire, in Heligoland, Germany.

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Polluted waters - A sea turtle swims through waters infested with hundreds of small plastic fragments.

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Shoreline - A seagull stands on the beach next to a discarded plastic bottle, which takes an average of 450 years to decompose, according to 4Ocean.

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Bottom of the ocean - A lionfish lurks near a plastic bag caught on the ocean floor. This type of litter takes about 10 to 20 years to break down, according to 4Ocean.

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Egypt - A bird takes to the skies with a plastic bag tangled in its claws.

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Philippines - Children play on a plastic-infested beach in Manila, April 2018.

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Scotland - A snowy egret picks its way through ocean litter on the Isle of Mull, Scotland.

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United Kingdom - A humpback whale was found dead in the river Thames in London in 2009. It was believed to have died from starvation, according to the Telegraph.

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Dogs - Dogs and birds pick their way through a beach encrusted with plastic waste.

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South Georgia - An albatross chick sits with its parent. Increasing numbers of carcasses of this species have been found with their stomachs filled with plastic waste on islands surrounding South Georgia.

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Food or foe? - A sea gull struggles with a tasty-looking piece of plastic.

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Lebanon - A fisherman floats past this waste dump in southern Lebanon, in 2010. It has partially collapsed into the sea several times, feeding the growing problem of ocean plastic waste.

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Vietnam - Soldiers collect dead fish from the polluted waters of West Lake, Hanoi, 2016.

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Indonesia - Look familiar? Plastic yogurt cups and other everyday waste accumulates at the bottom of the sea near the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia.

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United States - An egret wades through the Los Angeles River in 2006. After heavy rainfall, an estimated 150 ton of debris, including Styrofoam cups, oil containers, and plastic water bottles washed up on the banks.

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Sri Lanka - A dead sea turtle lies on a Sri Lankan beach where it was washed up alongside pieces of plastic waste.

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Philippines - A man looks out over litter-clogged coastlines in Manila. The Philippines was recently ranked third on a list of the top five ocean plastic polluting countries, after China and Indonesia.

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World Oceans Day - This year's World Oceans Day, which takes place on June 8, focuses on targeting plastic pollution in the oceans. Because at the end of the day...

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Future - ...do we want our environment to look like this?

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Future - Or this?

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