P K Nanda
The World Environment Day is being celebrated globally today and shall be deliberating on the Theme: – Beat Plastic pollution. The theme which is indeed a topic of great concern with an aim to concentrate on the main issues of eradication of Plastic Pollution which has increased many a fold over the years globally as well as locally.
It is pertinent to mention here that our Planet Mother Earth is getting chocked on account of these Plastics. It is high time to review, the ways and means of produce, consume and dispose of the plastic materials. The Plastics have many Valuable uses and so are addicted to Single use plastic products which results in severe problems like (i) Environmental hazards (ii) Social (iii)Economic and even (iv)health issues. As per statistics, around the World one million plastic bottles are purchased every minute and up to five Trillion Plastic bags are used every year: – Half of all the plastic produced is designed for single use purpose.
USE JUST ONCE AND THROW WAY
From 1950s to 1970s, only a small number of plastic products were produced and the, plastic waste was manageable. However, between 1970s and 1990s, plastic waste generation increased three folds, reflecting rise in plastic production. In early 2000, the amount of plastic waste generated increased more in a single decade than it had in the previous 40 years. At present every year about 400 million tons of plastic waste is produced. Moreover since 1970s, the rate of plastic production has grown faster than that of any other material. If growth trends continue to remain the same, the global production of primary plastic is estimated to reach 1,100 million tons by 2050.
Of the seven billion tons of plastic waste generated globally, so far, less than 10 per cent has been recycled. The 90% of balance plastic waste is discarded, ending in incineration, landfill or added to the environment which is transported to destinations where it is mostly burned or dumped.
Rivers and lakes are major contributors for transporting plastic waste from deep inland to the sea, making ocean polluted Despite current efforts, it is estimated that 75 to 199 million tons of plastic is currently found in our oceans. Until and Unless there is a modification in production and uses, the amount of plastic waste has tripled from 9 to 14 million tons per year in 2016 and 23 to 37 million tons per year by 2040. Lot of it is transported from rivers, which serves as conduits for transporting trashes into the ocean. It is surveyed that 1,000 rivers are accountable for nearly 80% of global annual river plastic emissions into the ocean.
EFFECTS OF PLASTIC POLLUTION
Damage to Aquatic Life and subsequently the economy.
Marine litter and plastic pollution are problematic for many reasons. Plastics don’t biodegrade (decompose naturally in a way that’s not harmful to the environment). Instead, they break down over time into ever smaller pieces known as micro plastics and Nano plastics, which are having unquantifiable adverse impacts.
Impacts to marine life ranges from physical or chemical harm to individual animals, to wider effects on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Pieces of plastic have been found in the digestive system of many aquatic organisms,
Effect of Plastics on Climate Change.
Plastics production is also a climate problem because plastic is produced from oil, a fossil fuel. The more plastic we produce the more fossil fuel is required. Plastic products also create greenhouse gas emissions throughout during the whole lifecycle. If no immediate action is taken, greenhouse gas emissions from the production, recycling and incineration of plastics could account for 19 per cent of total allowable emissions in 2040.
Solution for Beating plastic pollution
Plastics are the largest, most harmful and persistent component of marine litter, accounting for at least 85 per cent of total marine waste. Marine litter is found in increasing along our coastlines and estuaries, in massive swirling mid-ocean currents, on remote islands, in sea.
However, unnecessary and avoidable plastics, particularly single-use packaging and disposable items are polluting our planet at alarming rates. Decay of economic growth and an increasing dependency on throw-away plastics, has led to a torrent of unmanaged waste that drops into lakes, rivers, coastal environments, and finally out to sea, triggering a number of problems. The problem of Plastic Pollution has burgeoned into a global crisis requiring immediate attention for sustained action. This problem provides the definitive wake-up call to the ubiquity of marine litter and the adverse impacts of plastic pollution, Plastic pollution, biodiversity breakdown, and climate instability are the most pressing crises of ongoing time on this planet. The rapid growth of plastic production has already posed threats to Earth’s natural systems, on which life depends.
While the quantity of plastics that we need to tackle is so large that it’s hard to measure, it is learnt that most of the solutions we need already exist. Numerous regional, national and local activists are helping to reduce the flow of plastics in to water bodies by enforcing bans on single use plastics, to Redesign and reuse plastics.
Sir. For beating plastic Pollution, the immediate Solution is, assessment and magnitude of the problem requires urgent commitments which requires action at the global level: i.e. From source to disposal in water body to achieve the necessary long-term reduction in waste, so that the right infrastructure is planned to reuse plastic waste and to ensure its reuse.
Close the tap by phasing out unnecessary, avoidable, and most problematic plastic items and replacing these with alternative materials, products.
Improve and strengthen governance at all levels. There is no single solution. As with many intergenerational environmental assaults, this requires systems which are innovative and transformable. However, the goal is to reduce the use of unnecessary, avoidable and problematic plastics, and stop their flow into, Rivers, Wetlands, coasts and seas. We all are together in this. We can and we must, solve the water plastic pollution problem issue. Sir, locally it is observed that the Solid plastic Waste Management System – Especially single use plastic Bags and Bottles is very poor which finally results in clogging of Sewers which provides breeding grounds for Mosquitoes and pests which finally increases the transmission of Vector Borne diseases. It is high time for all the stakeholders to wake up and work out a solution on this problem
The world is waking up to the problem. The Governments, industries and other stakeholders are starting to act.
Governments are key factors in the plastic value chain and there are several things that can be done.
Must urge upon Different Governments, Industrialist Communities to Come forward, Work Together for exploring sustainable ways. – To reduce the production of plastic. Committed to make our planet earth Cleaner & Greener If we cannot reuse it. let us refuse it
Governments can promote innovations; the plastics we need are designed and brought into the economy in a way that allows their reuse.
Governments also need to ensure the circulation of plastic in the economy for as long as possible.
The role of different Governments shall be very significant in implementing this which will lead to a drastic down fall in the percentage of plastic pollution. The Govt. is required to pass a legislature for minimizing the production of plastics. If the availability of plastics is minimized the commuters will automatically switch over to non-plastic material. There are a number of actions that the plastic industry can take to accelerate this systematic change.
A lot of positive action has been seen but the truth is that we all need to do more and turn off the tap on plastic pollution at the Source.
There are many things which we as an individual can do- from asking the restaurant owners we visit to stop using plastic straws, by bringing own coffee mug to work.
For inspiration, here are few things we all can do to Beat Plastic Pollution
Shop Sustainably: Next time when we are out for shopping, carry a Reusable bag, buy local products, and Refill containers to reduce your plastic waste and effect on the environment. Invest in sustainable Eco-friendly products- reusable coffee mugs, water bottles and food wraps. These will help you save money and the water body also.
Travel Sustainably: When you are on holiday, try to watch your single-use plastic intake. Reuse miniature bottles in hotel rooms, take your own reusable drinking bottle and use reef-safe sunscreen, without micro plastics.
Choose plastic-free personal care products: Personal care products are a major source of micro plastics, which get washed into the water body straight from our bathrooms. Look for plastic-free face wash, day cream, makeup, deodorant, shampoo and other products.
The banquet hall owners are the biggest creator of plastic pollution and they are required to have their own plastic recycling units. So that it’s used within the compound itself. Every new Banquet Hall should keep a provision for the installation of plastic recycling plant inside the premises
All the citizens are appealed to minimize the use of plastic and help the rag picker in picking the disposable plastic. It becomes the duty of every citizen to keep the environment neat and clean around their houses by not throwing the waste outside the house as this waste food thrown out in plastic bags is dangerous for animals and in addition also chocking the drains which is again not good for the environment. Choking of drains results in it’s over flowing, spilling water on the road and thus damaging it, which ultimately affect the human life and surroundings.
So Clean India and keep India green this can be achieved only “If we start talking to each other instead talking about each other”
So, if we want our Jammu City to be clean, then every Jammu resident Should Come Forward, bring a change and become a leader in the interest of keeping Jammu City clean for a Healthy Environment, so that every tourist visiting Jammu appreciates the beauty and cleanliness of Jammu City and its surrounding areas.
(The author is an engineer)
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