Environmental Science: World Plastic Disaster Report Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive overview of the world plastic disaster, examining its environmental, social, and political dimensions. The report highlights the versatility and widespread use of plastics, while also emphasizing their detrimental effects, including non-biodegradability, the release of greenhouse gases, and the presence of toxic chemicals. It delves into the impact of plastic pollution on human and animal health, including risks like obesity, cancer, and cognitive impairments. Furthermore, the report explores the alarming consequences for marine life, with predictions of more plastic than fish in oceans by 2050. The report proposes potential solutions, such as plastic denial campaigns, reduced consumption, promotion of recycling and reuse, and global initiatives like plastic bans. The report references several studies and resources, including the works of Xing (2009), Kasidoni et al. (2015), and Koushal et al. (2014), to support its findings and recommendations.

World Plastic
Disaster
Student Details:

Addressing as a Global Issue
• Plastic disposal is a critical environmental issue
for drastic environmental pollutions it cause.
• Social Issue: Plastic Pollution adversely affecting
Societal development, as food and living of
middle class, rural communities, and animals who
rely on seafood and ocean water, facing critical
risks due to oceans plastic pollution (Xing, 2009).
• Political Issue: globally nations and countries
need to adopt plastic ban.

Plastic Utility
• Plastic is an organic polymer, having long
carbon molecular chain
• Plastic is versatile, hygienic, flexible, long
durable, and lightweight
• Types of plastics : Polystyrene, Polyvinyl
Chloride, Polyethylene Terephthalate and
Polyethylene (Xing, 2009).
• Versatile uses : Domestic, Packaging,
Protection, Hospitals, air craft industry and
engineering

Evil side of Plastic
• By nature plastic is non-biodegradable,
contain hydrocarbon molecules gain from
refining of oil and natural gas.
• It can move into stomachs, lungs and blood of
human easily in form of micro-plastics
particles.
• It is composed of toxic chemical &
carcinogenic, neurotoxic, and having
hormone-disruptive chemicals (Xing, 2009).
• .

How plastic causes kinds of pollution
• Plastic and by-products of it contribute in major
human and animals health issues
• Experts opinion: by 2050 era, the quantity of
quantity of fishes within ocean will be less than
the plastics within the oceans.
• Polluting air, water and land (Kasidoni, et
al.,2015).
• Major environent effect: Ocean and Marine life
badly affected

Why it is an alarming situation
Our Globe
is on the
verge of
World
Plastics
Disaster

Beginning of Plastic Disaster
• Plastic use is a Global threat
because after its creation it
causes life-time pollution
• By-products of plastics emit
green house gases while come
into sun-light (Koushal, et al.,
2014)

Plastic Pollution (known as PP)
• Being long-durable, the
durability is the only culprit of
the world plastics disaster
• Plastics disposal rate
Anticipated decomposition rates :
Fishing lines: 600 Years
Foamed plastics cup: 50 Years
Plastics drink holder: 400 Years
Plastics Bottle: 450 Years
(Xing, 2009).

Side Effects of Plastic Pollution
• Plastics contain Phthalates( referred as
DEHP) and Bisphenol-A (referred as BPA)
• Above causes following health problems
risks in human & animals:
• Obesity (Kasidoni, et al.,2015)
• Cancer
• Onset-diabetes
• Resistance towards
Chemotherapy
• Cardiovascular damage
• Impaired cognitive functions
• Abnormal reproductive system
• Early puberty

Probable solutions to PP
• Organizing plastic denial campaign
• Minimize plastics consumption
• Say strict ‘NO’ to Plastics (Earth Day Network,
2017)
• Promote recycle and re-use:
 Promote mesh bag purchase
 Promote canvas shopping bag purchase
 Promote reusable water bottle purchase
 Promote reusable wax-lined bag purchase
(Koushal, et al., 2014)

Global efforts for removing PP
• Main issue is “How to discard them totally.”
• Good initiatives from global countries are :
 Putting bans over plastic bags, straws, plastic
cups, utensils, and plastics bottles.
 Restrict the whole consumption & Sale of
Single-use plastic (Xing, 2009)
 Using food grade virgin plastic for milk
packaging (Sung, 2010)
 Restrict plastic use to handling of solid waste
(Li, et. al, 2015)

References
 Kasidoni, M., Moustakas, K. & Malamis, D., 2015. The
existing situation and challenges regarding the use of
plastic carrier bags in Europe. Waste Management &
Research, 33(5), pp. 419-428.
 Koushal, V. et al., 2014. Plastics: issues challenges
and remediation. International Journal of waste
resources, 02, 4(1), p. 6.
 Xing, X., 2009. Study on the ban on free plastic bags
in China. Journal of Sustainalble Development, 2(1),
p. 156.