
In 2019 the government seemed quite enthusiastic about curbing the use of plastic bags in the country. However, as time went on, implementing such a goal seemed impossible. The ground reality is that it is rather difficult to convince citizens of the disadvantage of using plastic. The majority of the people still remain hesitant in opting for a cloth or a canvas bag when purchasing dry groceries and other goods because it seems less convenient for them to carry one around all the time.
Perhaps the main reason is the lack of awareness. Many people fail to understand how a simple plastic bag can bring about insurmountable change in the earth’s atmosphere. They aren’t able to understand the dynamics behind global warming, climate change or pollution, and easily assert that plastic can simply be burnt away. However, it is important to globally acknowledge that we have reached a new epoch, an age where the humans have become a geological force. This means that our actions directly affect the state of the earth’s geology and atmosphere. While at first it would take thousands of years for change to occur, in this new age the effects of our actions do not take long to emerge. We consider nature to be a product for our own use, and therefore continue to rapidly exhaust earth’s raw materials in order to make money despite severe warnings by environmentalists. Now, the earth has reached its tipping point, and if we are not able to reverse the effects of global warming now then it may be impossible to do so in the future when the world will be facing major natural disasters.
The authorities in Pakistan need to be at the forefront of the battle against climate change as it is one of the countries most affected by it. There is a need to create national awareness while pushing other nations to comply with climate change and global warming regulations.
Mahnaz Nawab
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, July 22nd, 2020.
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