Yes, we are fucked.
Of course the article calls out statistics about balloons, because the article is about balloons. There is any number of ways that animals can die from trash.
You want to change things? Figure out a way to make biodegradable balloons less expensive than the rubber ones. Figure out a way to bio-engineer a bacteria that breaks down the rubber ones.
Reality is that getting people to stop releasing balloons, worldwide, isn't going to happen from a blog post or any amount of education or laws discouraging it.
Also, not doing balloon releases has literally no real drawbacks. I we can't get affect change here, we're so fucked.