Enemy Of Environment

Suresh Chaudhary 

Beat plastic pollution' is the slogan of the World Environment Day that falls today (June 5). According to UN environment reports, we produce 400 million tons of plastic every year. The problem is so severe that if current trend of using plastic remains unchanged by 2050, there will be more plastics than fishes in the ocean.  The global production of primary plastic will reach 1100 million tons by 2050. Every year one million seabirds and one billion mammals are dying due to the pollution caused by plastic, reports of The Third Pole show. 

The plastic is being used for various purposes globally. The agro sector uses plastics by 3.3 per cent, electronic 5.8 per cent, automobiles 8.9 per cent, building and construction 19.7 per cent, consumer and household’s goods, furniture, sports, health, safety 22.4 per cent and packaging including single-use plastic for food and beverage 35 per cent. Sometimes, landfill sites contain 85 per cent remains of plastics.

Moreover, 98 per cent of single-use plastic is being produced from fossil fuels. It is believed that the emission of greenhouse gases and use and disposable of conventional fuels based on plastic estimated to hike the global carbon budget by 19 per cent by 2040. Besides, due to plastic pollution, the balance of food chain has been disrupted and ecosystem jeopardised.  The situation of water pollution, the death of biotic aspects, emission of poisonous gas and global warming seems to have been at an alarming stage.   

Are we doing anything to beat the pollution at an individual level or coordinating with society or nation? Of course not. Only a handful of individuals, societies and nations are contributing to beating the plastic pollution. Their efforts alone are not adequate. That's why, as sensible beings, humans must try to take few steps to change our behaviours and activities to beat the plastic pollution - the real threat to humankind. For example, while going for dinner or lunch or breakfast or for coffee, we can carry plate or mug.

Well, we have been trying to use the concept of 3R-- reuse, recycle and reduce-- for managing the waste of plastic. In this situation, as per this formula, if we can't reuse, recycle and reduce the plastic, we simply have to refuse and rethink the use of plastic. Not only this much, while going for a grocery to buy vegetables or even for the shopping in the big shopping centres, we must not forget to carry jute bags or paper bags or cloths bags ourselves. We can refuse to buy more harmful products, like cleaners and give emphasis to buy more eco-friendly options.  We can refuse the disposal of plastic, refuse single services packaging, search for the new ideas that could replace the single use of plastics in our daily life, refuse to buy modified organisms (GMOs) and ask the government to fix various places where common people can deposit the plastic.

Notably, the concerned agencies working to control plastic pollution has to take immediate steps for managing the waste created due to plastic. Basically, the government has to give high priority for establishing and redesigning innovative centres for recycling plastics and improved waste collection. It is also essential for supervising industries and encourage them to adopt new techniques of manufacturing reusable plastic packaging.  Creating viable markets for recycling plastics, following the global plastic protocol, and motivating the common people to refuse plastic by offering various incentives are also imperative.