The Earth is drowning in Plastic.

The production of plastic from fossil fuel has accelerated since World War II, which revolutionised medicine with life saving devices. An array of products was introduced such as helmets, incubator and equipment’s to sterilize drinking water. Plastic development made space travel possible and lightened cars and jets saving fuel. However, the innovative new product steered the world in to throw-away culture and now plastic bags and food wrappers occupy our everyday lives but the damage to environment could potentially last for hundreds of years. 

Approximately half the plastic manufactured have been made in the last 15 years and every year around 8 million tons of plastic waste has leaked into the oceans from coastal nations. Additionally, to produce stronger, durable and more flexible plastic, chemicals are added that is estimated to take around four centuries to breakdown.

Once the plastic is in the ocean, sunlight, wind and wave movements breaks down the plastic waste in small particles (microplastic) which covers the whole ocean. Microplastic can breakdown even further to plastic microfibers which were found in municipal drinking water systems and flowing through the air. Once plastic pollution enters the ocean and breakdown in to microplastic, it is difficult or impossible to remove. 

Plastic waste has become harmful to millions of animals that are killed every year from the pollution; Almost 700 species including birds and endangered ones are known to be affected by the rising plastics pollution. It was reported nearly every species of sea birds eats plastic.  Additionally, microplastic has been found in a significant amount of aquatic species, including fish, shrimp and mussel, blocking their digestive system or piercing organs, causing death. Some death has been attributed to discarded fishing gear and six-pack beer rings that causes entanglement or starvation. 

Marine flora’s has become overwhelmed by discarded plastic on the ocean surface. Sea birds and other species depends on the ocean for sustenance, however the ocean is increasingly becoming polluted with plastic and other human trash.  Plastic was also known to be consumed by land-based mammals including elephants, hyenas and tigers and has been implicated in their death as well.

Most of the plastic trash that escapes into the ocean are carried by the river that flows from the land and transported around the world, however, a vast majority of the plastic pollutants will remain in coastal waters.

Discarded plastic has become a major environmental issue, with an increase in production of disposable plastic products, governments are finding it difficult to curb the pollution. In countries such as Africa and Asian you can visibly see the impact of discarded plastic and in the developed world, where there is an opportunity to recycle plastic, the rate of recycling is low, inefficient or non-existent; this has led the UN to formulate a treaty agreement.

#ExtinctionRebellionJamaica