An Environmental Economics Appraisal of Potential Policies for Managing Plastic Waste in Australia

Running head: AN ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS APPRAISAL OF
POTENTIAL POLICIES FOR MANAGING PLASTIC WASTE IN
AUSTRALIA.
An environmental economics appraisal of potential policies for managing plastic waste in
Australia.
Name of the University;
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Authors Note:

1Environmental Economics Appraisal
The environmental situations of the countries are going through some random and
grave changes over the past few years, and the countries are posed with increasing
environmental challenges. The increased rate of Global warming are the central issue that is
further introducing other natural calamities and disasters, thus creating crisis situations for all
the countries across the world. The researchers have found out that the carbon did oxide
equivalent greenhouse gases have reached and exceeded 400 parts per million, which is the
“tipping point”, as according to the researchers (Cappello et al., 2013). The researchers have
further opined that this exceeding of the tipping point have introduced certain major
irreversible changes in the ecosystem and in the planetary climate system. The global
warming has reached the diverse eco systems, such as the Amazon, the Arctic Tundra, at the
threshold point through warming and drying. The mountain glaciers are observed to be
skedaddling at an alarming rate, which is further increasing the water level of the water
bodies, thus heightening the chances of tsunami (Gouldson & Murphy., 2013). Also the
drying out of the water bodies that are already and will be impactful for the coming
generations. Thus, the environmental cumulative systems and the climate feedback systems
are ruining the natural ecosystems of earth, and creating heavy consequences for the human
life.
However, along with this, the increased usage of plastics has also endangered the
ecosystems of the world. It is one of the biggest environmental for all the countries across the
world now. The amount of accumulated garbage is dominated by the objects made of plastics,
which gravely endangering the wild life and the aqua life and the wild life and aqua life
habitat. The factors of affordability and the durability, are the two contributing factors that
have heightened the plastic usage of the human beings. The extreme usage of plastic also
affects the planet life and reduces the durability and the potentiality of the land, which
impacts upon the human life negatively. More importantly, the human life is also affected by

2Environmental Economics Appraisal
the use of plastics, directly, due to disruption in certain hormonal mechanisms of the human
beings. In a recent study, it was found that, about 380 million tons of plastic s have been
produced, which is an increase of 6.3 billion, since the year 1950, which constitutes 9%
increase in the recycled ones and 12% increase in the non- recycled ones. The researchers are
if the opinion that out of the 5 million tons of plastics, used every year, only 25% of the
amount is recyclable, and the 75% of the non- recyclable ones, have filled up the landfills,
and constituted the food elements of the marine life, which have further caused the death of
the sea birds and sea animals, and as according to the researchers, the numbers are expected
to be increasing by the year 2050, and it will be more than the number of fish in the ocean.
Therefore, in the following essay the environmental issues related to the plastic
pollution will be discussed regarding the country, Australia. The down under is seen with
increasing rate of plastic pollution in its water bodies. The usage rate of plastics in the
country has observed a surge, in the past few years. The long beaches of the country is seen
to be filled with plastics, choking and endangering the marine life of the country. In a recent
study, it is found that 85% of the Australian seabirds are affected by the plastic pollution. The
turtles have seen to be chocked to death by plastics, as they mistakenly consumed that,
thinking of them to be jellyfish, the seabirds have found to be entangled by the plastics and
thee whales have seen to be full with plastics (Bilgili, Kocak, & Bulut. 2016). Further, the
researchers have opined that the smaller plastic components are more fatal, as the animals can
ingest them and further, we can get served that in the form food that consists plastic. A recent
documentary, called “Project Paradise”, has revealed that the Great Barrier Reef, and the
other reefs of the country is piled up with the used plastics. Laura Wells, a marine biologist,
who conducted the documentary, opined that the invention of plastic, that came to make the
human life more convenient, is ending up polluting and damaging the pristine environments
of the world (Reisser et al., 2013) Therefore, many of the non-governmental organizations