The Growing Menace of Plastic Pollution
Ramesh Chaurasia-The Growing Menace of Plastic Pollution
From water bottles to containers, when we look around us we find endless things that are made up of plastic. In the last two decades, plastic has seeped into our lives and made us highly dependent on it. The most dangerous aspect of this is that a huge part of the plastic used today is single-use plastic which is used for a few minutes or hours and then thrown away. Plastic bags have a massive role to play in this. What is horrifying is that synthetic plastic is non-biodegradable and therefore it never fully vanishes from the environment. It breaks up into smaller forms and remains in the environment for hundreds of years.
Plastic pollution is a cause of grave concern since the accumulation of plastic waste in the different spheres of the environment, land, rivers, and oceans is skyrocketing. This is because of the soaring production and use of plastic all around the globe. And some estimations have shocked me to the core. It has been estimated that by 2050, the production of plastic will be doubled and the exponential rise in the amount of plastic waste in the upcoming decades is unimaginable. The most critical aspect of plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic debris in the marine ecosystem. According to an eye-opening report, there is not a single square mile of the surface ocean in the world that is free from plastic waste and if this trend continues and people continue to neglect this pressing global crisis, then by 2050 there will be more plastic in oceans than fish!
How does plastic waste pollute the oceans?
If we look at the roots of this menace, we will be able to understand how plastic debris ends up in the oceans. It comes from:
Waste that is not unrecycled or dumped or abandoned is carried to various water bodies by Wind and rainwater and finally deposited in the oceans.
Waste that is produced by beach-goers.
Waste that is generated as a result of fishing.
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The threat of plastic pollution on life
Plastic pollution is termed a global crisis and has to be dealt with immediately because its impact on marine life as well as on human beings is terrifying.
Marine creatures die by ingesting this plastic waste. Moreover, entanglement is also one of the common causes of their painful death. The toxic chemicals that plastic items contain detrimentally affect the functioning of their bodies when they ingest them and what is even more frightening is that these chemicals are passed on to the creatures that feed on them and their concentration keeps on increasing, thus negatively affecting the entire food chain. This also impacts human beings consuming seafood.
How can we combat this threat?
It has been found out that plastic pollution has affected over 600 species of marine animals. Not only that, but I also came across a study that said that a certain amount of fish in the fish market of California contained a form of plastic. While the plastic dumped in oceans is breaking down at an extremely slow rate, the further increase in the consumption and production of plastic is going to make things worse. Therefore, I strongly feel that there is an urgent need to control plastic waste. The three R’s are significant here.
Reduce: The need of the hour is to reduce the use of plastic at the individual level. There are a lot of environment-friendly alternatives available and switching to them will help in reducing plastic debris to a great extent. For example, the most talked-about alternative is using jute or paper bags instead of plastic bags. Just like this, there are many other innovative options as well. And the government is also banning certain plastic items to curb the use of plastic.
Reuse: Before tossing your plastic items into the trash bin after one or two uses, think about the bigger picture. Find ways to reuse plastic items and contribute towards saving the environment from the threat of plastic pollution.
Recycle: Proper recycling of plastic will also play a role in reducing plastic debris. Government incentives will also help in increasing the recycling of plastic.
A large section of the population is still unaware of the adverse effects of plastic. Hence in this fight against plastic, it is very important to keep educating people about its harmful effects and the alternatives available.
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Author-Ramesh Chaurasia
A superior and highly experienced entrepreneur in the field of business for quite a long time now. Also, a philanthropist, author and public speaker who believes in working towards the overall well being and betterment of the society as a whole.