Impact of plastic bags on environment with objective, importance, Methodology, interview, observation, example, conclusion and project presentation??
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Answer:
Plastic bags cause many negative effects for us and the environment. We use disposable plastic shopping bags out of convenience and ignorance of their seriously negative consequences. Plastic waste affects all types of biomes and organisms.
These consequences can be seen all over the world and are a multinational, worldwide issue that must be addressed. Plastic bags continually cause harm to natural environments from the beginning to the end of their life cycle.During the production of plastic bags the petroleum must be extracted, refined, and shaped. Each of these processes requires a lot of energy and this energy comes from burning fossil fuels, like oil
The root of this issue is the huge amount of oil that is used in the production process. Oil is one of the most commonly used fossil fuels on earth and is one of, if not the biggest, contributors to climate change.
When oil is burned or produced it creates greenhouse gases. These gasses lead to the greenhouse effect, which causes earth to absorb more of the sun’s energy and increase in overall temperature. The scary part about the greenhouse effect is even a small change in earth’s temperature, 1-2 degrees Celsius, can have huge impacts around the world.
As earth’s temperature increases many things will change. In coastal regions one of biggest issues is sea level rise caused by melting ice and glaciers. Some island nations, such as the Maldives, will be fully submerged with only a 40 inches rise in sea level.
Cities like Venice, Italy are actually built at sea level, so any increase in sea level could lead to disastrous results [3].
Climate change has also been shown to cause increased strength / frequency of storms, changing weather patterns, droughts, and ocean acidification. If climate change continues these consequences will become stronger and more prevalent affecting plants, animals, and humans all around the world.
Plastic pollution in the ocean and our waterways
One biome that has become increasingly affected by plastic waste is the ocean. Nearly 13 million tonnes of plastic is washed into the ocean every year. Some plastics release chemicals in the water leading to cancer and other health issues, but the most prevalent issue is the consumption of plastic by animals.
Plastic waste on a beach
Fish, turtles, and ocean birds are the largest groups affected by plastic debris. Nearly 100 million marine animals die each year directly from the consumption of plastic waste. These animals often eat plastic, which their bodies cannot digest. This blocks their digestive tract, leading to death [4].
Even for us this is a huge issue because we eat a lot of fish and if fish have consumed plastic we end up eating the plastic inside the fish.
Turtles have been especially affected by plastic bags in the ocean. Turtles have been known to confuse plastic bags for jellyfish (one of their common food sources) and eat them unknowingly. Over half of the world’s sea turtles ingest plastic in their lifetime