Plastic Pollution

Imagine you're on a beach, with the brown sand, the blue sky, and the sun at just the right angle so you have the sunlight on your face. On the horizon, you can see the blue waters and some whales coming up to breathe. I'm sure most of us over here have at least had this dream once. Let me now take it a step further. Imagine you see the waves gently crashing on the shore and are longing a swim. You take barely 5 steps into the water and you see a plastic bottle. You ignore it and you keep going deeper. Another 4 steps, you now see a polythene bag. Now you're doubting your decision for taking a swim. Still, with the beautiful picture painted in your brain, you go even deeper. Now after 6 steps, you see a plastic can holder, some plastic bottles and some plastic toys. Now you completely table your decision and go back to your chair, rethinking your decision. The phenomenon over here that ruined your experience over here is known as Plastic Pollution. It can be defined as 'the accumulation of plastic objects and particles in the Earth's environment that adversely affects wildlife, wildlife habitat, and humans.' Plastics that act as pollutants are categorized into micro-, meso-, or macro debris, based on size. Now, let's look at some numbers, shall we?

The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit organization, which is based out of the United States and fights plastic pollution, estimates there are 5 trillion pieces of plastic. This means there are approximately 666 pieces of plastic in the ocean PER human being. This just shows the extent of damage we've do our environment.

Now, as always, let's first look at the causes of this problem:

Plastic is the industry STANDARD. Almost every industry uses plastic, if not in its produce, then in its manufacturing or day-to-day work. It has become such an instrumental part of society that today, removing it would weaken us to a great extent.

Cheap to produce, cheap to buy.

Overused by the human population.

Fishing Nets, which are probably used all over the world, as the fishing industry is one of the most valuable industry, globally. Now the problem here is that fishing nets stay submerged underwater for hours and hours on a stretch. These nets can then leak harmful toxins in the water, which can destroy local marine ecosystems, and are known to destroy Coral reefs.

Burning plastic is incredibly toxic, and can lead to harmful atmospheric conditions and deadly illness. Therefore, if it is in a landfill, it will never stop releasing toxins in that area.

Ok, now that we've understood the causes of plastic pollution, next up are the effects. There are a ton of effects of Plastic Pollution, but the most harmful ones are:

Due to its large size variation, it even affects the smallest of organisms, even planktons. When small planktons ingest plastic, they get poisoned. Bigger animals that eat these smaller animals also get poisoned. Therefore, due to plastics, many food chains can get harmed and in some cases, even broken.

Landfills have huge quantities of plastic. These plastics can then leak toxins into the groundwater, which will put more pressure on the already strained water bodies.

Burning of plastic in the open air leads to environmental pollution due to the release of poisonous chemicals. The polluted air when inhaled by humans and animals affects their health and can cause respiratory problems.

Despite countless TV ads over the years showing ducks or dolphins trapped in six-ring plastic can holders, these items are still used and discarded en masse each day. Whether because the mass of plastic has displaced animals or the related toxins have poisoned them, plastic pollution does a lot of damage to the world's ecosystems.

Man artificially makes plastic by using several toxic chemicals. Therefore, the use of and exposure to plastics has been linked to several health concerns affecting people around the world. The processes of making, storing, disposing of, and just being around plastics can be extremely harmful to living things.

Ok, causes done and effects also were done. Let's now look at the most important part of any problem, Solutions! There are many solutions to plastic pollution, but today I wanted to discuss one specific solution.

We have all read about how many countries are proposing to ban plastic. When I read these kinds of articles, I have one question. How do you propose to compensate the workers? By 2020, it is estimated that the Plastic Industry will be worth $1.175 trillion. This makes it one of the most valued industries in the world. (Fun Fact: The Plastic Industry is more valuable than Apple). If the world is going to propose that we destroy one of the most valuable industries, first of all, I think it can lead to a great economic downfall, something like the Great Depression, just on a global scale. Second of all, if you're going to ban plastic on a global scale, we need to have backup jobs in place for those who have lost their jobs. This is maybe the biggest problem in fighting plastic pollution. We all know that after the spread of Corona Virus (COVID-19), unemployment rates have increased in most countries (including those such as the USA and India). This is mainly because of reduced consumerism. This puts even more pressure on the International Community for creating jobs and reducing unemployment. But, considering the extent of damage done to the environment and the unemployment rates, its time the International Community takes a decision quickly which favors both Humans and the Marine Ecosystem.

Also, we, as individuals can take many steps to fight Plastic Pollution such as:

1. Reduce the use of Plastic.

2. Have awareness campaigns on the use of Plastic.

3. Research/Create alternatives to Plastic.

4. Discuss with your peers/colleagues/friends/family about Plastic Pollution and discuss Innovative Solutions, which are practical to implement as well.

In this seemingly pathetic situation, suddenly appears a ray of light. The Ocean Cleanup, which was the non-profit organization I mentioned earlier, has undertaken a major project for cleaning up the ocean (even the Great Pacific Garbage Patch). It has named this specific mission, which aims to use old ships, connected to rubber tubes, which will then hold huge amounts of plastic, 'System 001'. I will be attaching a link to their YouTube video below, which shows how they plan on making it work. All I would like to say is that it's high time we take a stand against the plastic with the help of practical and innovative solutions, which will make the world a better place. Why you may ask? Well, that is, because I have a little saying, which goes as "We need to fight Plastic. If not, then just like an insignificant piece of plastic in the huge ocean, our planet will become an insignificant piece of rock in the Universe."

The Ocean Cleanup's Official YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheOceanCleanup

The Ocean Cleanup's System 001 explained: https://youtu.be/O1EAeNdTFHU

NOTE: This Website isn't under any Paid Partnership with The Ocean Cleanup.