write a brief essay on plastic
Answers
Answer:
In today's society life without plastic is nearly impossible, we depend on it for our basic needs. It contribute to our health, safety, peace of mind and many other luxuries taken for granted. In this essay we will explore many aspects of plastics and I hope to inform you on certain aspects you would have not none before.
Natural plastic have been used for thousands of years throughout the world. An example of this were the early Egyptians who would soak there dead in natural resigns to preserve their dead.
Alexander Parkes was the inventor of the first man made plastic. He unveiled this new material at the 1862 Great International Exhibition in London. This was an organic material derived from cellulose that once heated could be molded but that retained its shape when cooled.
Answer:
Plastic pollution is emerging as a top threat to ocean ecosystems. By 2025, there could be 1 ton of plastic for every 3 tons of fish in the ocean. Plastic debris affects nearly 700 species worldwide through entanglement and ingestion, alters natural biological and chemical processes, provides a means for the introduction of toxins into the food web, and costs the U.S. economy millions of dollars annually. The majority of this debris comes from land-based sources (e.g., plastic manufacturers, processors, landfills, sewage overflows, litter). With only 14% of plastic packaging and containers recycled in the U.S., 75% of leakage is due to uncollected waste.
Past efforts to address plastic pollution have failed in stemming the flow from land to sea. As the only high income country listed in the top 20 contributors to ocean plastic pollution, the U.S. plays a critical role in managing the waste stream of plastics. The absence of a comprehensive plastic pollution law and policy framework provides an opportunity for federal agencies to explore how and whether existing law and policy mechanisms can be used to address the threat of plastic pollution. This report provides an example by analyzing the Clean Water Act and relevant provisions.
The inability of environmental law to address growing threats, such as plastic pollution, represents the need for a paradigm shift. The environmental laws of the 1970s have yet to fulfill their goals and purposes. The Clean Water act has yet to prohibit discharges and produce clean water because it allows pollution under permitting systems.
As a result, this report attempts to challenge our assumptions behind current environmental law by introducing Earth Law, a system of law that recognizes nature’s inherent rights to exist, thrive and evolve. An Earth Law approach would prohibit the discharge of plastic into our nation’s waterways by considering the health of all Earth members. Therefore, this report proposes that the threat of plastic pollution will only be controlled if humans govern themselves in a way that recognizes their relationship with nature.
I. INTRODUCTION
A. THE PROBLEM
Scientific studies indicate that an emerging threat faces our freshwater and marine ecosystems: plastic pollution.[i] Since plastics are cheap, versatile and strong,[ii] and deliver significant societal benefits (e.g., energy savings, consumer protection, healthcare innovations),[iii] it comes as no surprise that plastic production has increased exponentially since the 1960’s.[iv] If current practices continue as usual, by 2025 there could be 1 ton of plastic for every 3 tons of fish in the ocean.[v] With the ability to persist for up to 4 centuries,[vi] plastic products are harming freshwater and marine ecosystems.[vii]
B. TYPES OF PLASTIC
Plastics consist of a variety of synthetic organic polymers and additives, giving each plastic product its unique properties.[viii] Plastic is generally split into two categories: micro- and macro-plastics. Microplastics (e.g., pellets, granules) are smaller than 5 mm, found throughout the water column, and compose 95% of the plastics in the ocean.[ix] Not readily seen, they receive less attention than macroplastics, which are visible pieces of debris, larger than 5 mm, and usually found on surface water or coastal beaches.[x]
C. IMPACTS OF PLASTIC
Plastics pose a significant threat to ocean and freshwater ecosystems and the benefits humans receive from them.[xi] The amount of plastic debris discarded by the commercial fishing industry has doubled over the last 50 years (from 340,000 tons in 1975[xii] to 640,000 tons annually[xiii]).
First, plastics threaten the survival of many species of wildlife, negatively impacting nearly 700 species worldwide.[xiv]
Larger items, such as fishing nets, entangle and kill wildlife.[xv]
Smaller items ingested by wildlife lower fitness by decreasing fertility.[xvi]
As plastic breaks down, it becomes less buoyant and sinks to the ocean floor.[xvii]This can lead to hypoxia (oxygen deficiency), dead zones, and a shift in sediment properties necessary for sex- determination in animal eggs