‘The Miracle Discovery of Plastic in the Twentieth Century. Plastic waste everywhere we look. ‘ – Margaret Spring, chief science officer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and chair of the expert committee that prepared the report submitted to the federal government, said sarcastically. At the same time, they pointed out that this increase in plastics has created an environmental and social crisis and polluted rivers, lakes and beaches. All this will ultimately affect the very existence of man. ‘Globally, the production of plastics has increased at an unprecedented rate. Production of plastics was 20 million metric tons (MMT) in 1966, but by 2015 it had risen to 381 MMT. That is a 20-fold increase in half a century. The contribution of the US should be highlighted here. This is because in 2016 alone, the country produced 42 million metric tonnes of plastic. – Margaret Spring added.
Will plastic kill man?
How does plastic kill humans? This is a very important question. According to a report submitted by experts, pollution from the oceans poses the greatest threat to humans.
Plastic waste from homes, factories and other establishments is discharged into rivers and streams and into the oceans. Sea creatures then fall into plastic traps or eat microplastics. Thousands of marine life die from eating plastic every year. The human being who feeds on fish is thus trapped and eliminated by the trap of plastic. Researchers estimate that by 2030, the amount of plastic discharged into the ocean will increase to 53 MMT per year. This is about half the total weight of fish caught from the ocean each year.
People see another way to remove plastic is to burn it. Although it may seem effective, the smoke from burning it is poisonous. Breathing in it endangers living things, including humans. Continuous exposure to such fumes can also adversely affect the environment.
Not only the US but also other countries have a significant role to play in destroying the earth by dumping plastic waste.
India
India is also on the list of countries where plastics have been found in the oceans. Last June, France-based Euronews reported that India was dumping about 126.5 million kilograms of plastic into the ocean each year. The weight of plastic waste dumped by India is equivalent to the weight of 250,000 bottles of nose dolphins.
According to the latest figures from the Central Pollution Control Board, India produces more than 25,000 tonnes of plastic waste per day.
Japan
Japan is not far behind in terms of plastic waste disposal. Concerns about plastic waste in Japan have been discussed as globally as in the US. In the wake of this, the government of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had promised to reduce plastic waste in Japan by 25 percent by 2030.
But it was all just words. Moreover, the country has not yet been able to reduce the amount of plastic waste dumped into the sea.
Australia
A new study has found that fish caught off the coast of southern Australia contain plastic. A study by the University of Adelaide found that 49% of fish contained microplastic fragments.
‘Nobody cares about waste problems because the Australian oceans look clean. Many commercial and recreational fishermen are unaware of the extent of the problem. We want to tell them about the seriousness of this problem. ‘- said Nina Wutton, a leading researcher at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Adelaide.
China
Until 2017, China was the country at the peak of plastic production and emissions. But the country declared in 2017 that it would not act as ‘the world’s garbage heap’ and vowed not to export plastic waste or import plastic products from other countries.
At the same time, China has announced that it will reduce the use of plastics in its 2021 – 2025 five – year plan, released last September. It says it will reduce the excessive use of plastic in packaging and agricultural purposes and will take action against those who use it.
Korea
About 200,000 tons of plastic waste is dumped off the coast of Korea into the oceans each year. The report, released by the Korea Maritime Institute last year, contains shocking figures. About 990,000 tons of waste from Korea enters the ocean each year. About 20% of it is plastic
Under the leadership of the Ministry of Marine and Fisheries, waste was collected from the sea last year. Authorities collected 138,000 tons of waste. Concerns have been raised that most of it was plastic waste. Moreover, globally, Korea’s coasts have the highest levels of plastic waste. ‘Incheon and Gyeonggi are the second largest plastic-filled beaches in the world. It’s mostly microplastics (small pieces of plastic less than 5 mm long). ‘ – Says a study published in 2018 in Nature Geoscience.
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Source: Agencies | Compiled by Bhadra Chandran
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