Plastic scourge ruining our planet and our children future

\A country which should have been actively involved in observing the World Cleanup Day falling on September 19, 2020, has been appallingly silent given that for weeks during the recent heavy monsoon rains, its largest cities sank into the water because of garbage and industrial waste choking the nullahs and drain ways. Though a one-day celebration might not have made much difference, it at least would have given us the chance to find the causes of environmental degradation.

Climate change has made it abundantly clear that we have very little time to decide how to realign our goals to reverse the damaging effects of climatic dissonance. A lot of attention has been given to the importance of trees in preserving the Earth’s temperature, but very little thinking has been done for changing how we consume. Not a day passes by without us hearing the damage plastic has caused to our environment that includes both the oceanic and the earthly life. New initiatives and projects appear every now and then to put a curb on the usage of this non-degradable and insoluble product. Practically speaking, there is not much to celebrate that a change has occurred.

The statistics are even worse. We consume mind-boggling amounts of plastic. According to an estimate, more than 500 billion disposable plastic bags are used annually. People purchase a million plastic bottles every minute around the world, and we throw away plastics equivalent to our body weight each year.

The amount of plastic thrown in the ocean is also astronomical. Almost eight million tons of plastic is thrown in the ocean each year. As of now, at least 93 million tons of plastic have been dumped in the ocean putting the marine wildlife in perpetual danger. Nearly 500 dead zones (lacking dissolved oxygen) covering 245,000 square kilometres are found in the waterbed. Now almost every marine species have come into contact with plastic because of which every year, one million marine birds and 100,000 marine mammals die.

Talking of hope for improvement has become a cliché. Estimates show that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans. By the same year, 99% of marine birds would have ingested plastic in micro or nanoparticle form.

Plastic is everywhere. The plastic containers/pouches used to cook food lose about one gram of plastic that ends up in our food.

Pakistan started several campaigns to discourage the use of polythene bags but not much has been achieved in this regard. The absence of will on the part of the authorities appears to be the reason behind plastic bags being still in use in one form or the other. This yet another administrative failure has forced the superior courts to intervene. The Lahore High Court has ordered the replacement of plastic bags with recyclable paper bags. The Environment Protection Agency has been asked to enforce a complete ban on the manufacturing, sale, and use of polythene bags across Punjab.

A global campaign called #CleanSea has been launched with an aim to end ocean pollution. The target of the campaign was to eliminate two major sources of marine waste: microplastics and single-use plastic items. The former is used in cosmetics. Industries the world over have been requested to reduce the production and usage of plastic products.

A lot is in the hands of the consumer. They can make or break the policies that do not support the environment’s wellbeing. By aligning local awareness programmes, a lot can be achieved, that too at a faster rate.

Take for example the recent initiative taken by the Omar Harfouch Foundation in Tripoli, Lebanon. The organisation with the support of the city’s Chamber of Commerce waged a war on pollution. The entire city was involved in the project. The one-point agenda of the organisation was the elimination of plastic bags and the administration was asked to empty an open-air landfill site that was nearly 45 metres tall. The gigantic project became possible because of the institutional support of the UN under the leadership of Under-Secretary-General Philippe Douste-Blazy.

The younger generation will have to understand the gravity of the situation unlike their parents, who lacked the resolve to implement decisions to reduce damages induced by climatic change. They will have to work to protect their interests.

Each one of us will have to play a role. Sorting recyclables is the place to start with. In spite of decades-long efforts, this habit has yet to take hold on us. Advanced countries have set themselves the target to become zero waste. San Francisco is a case in point. By 2025, it will be the first to proclaim itself as a zero-waste city thanks to its incentive programmes.

Creating awareness through educational programmes, changing our habits, and promoting research to produce alternative products is the way forward. We are confronted with a challenge to our survival. It cannot be taken lightly. To use a plastic bag, or throw plastic in the water, or buy a plastic packaging to store food, or warm food in a plastic container should make us think about the world that we would be leaving behind for our children and posterity.