Problem And Solution About Plastic Bag Issue

Name: Professor’s Name: Course: Date: Problem and Solution about Plastic Bag Issue Plastic bags are a menace to the current society in regards to its overall effect on the environment owing to their wide range of harmful effects to plants, land animals, aquatic life, and to humanity itself. Environmental organizations, governments, other wary institutions are making efforts to reduce the use of plastic bags and hence reduce their harmful effects. Indeed, plastic bags play a significant role in human life, but their adverse environmental impacts outweigh their positivity and hence the need for a lasting solution such as recycling against the proliferation of their use. The world is currently engaged on a universal platform on ways to conserve the environment through various forums aimed at enhancing environmental awareness and responsibility. The rate of air pollution is at an all-time high,and its repercussions felt around the globe by almost every nation even with the most conscious environmentally. The negative impacts do not necessarily affect a region or a nation that is notorious for biodegradation, but it is rather consolidated in a comprehensive adversity referred to as Climate Change (Abduall, 2011). The phenomenon is shifting weather patterns around the world, causing catastrophes through heightened temperatures, and changing wind patterns. The natural ecosystem hangs in the balance as the main agents behind the climatic change remain reluctant or hesitant in taking preventive measures to stop the escalation of the deteriorating situation. Plant life and the entire animal kingdom are dependent on humanity’s proactive ability in mobilizing and coordinating efforts towards eradicating or simply reducing environmental and air pollution. First and foremost, it is important to get the facts right on their origin and the shocking statistics on their use around different regions in the world. The petroleum industry produces plastic bags as a by-product among other plastic materials that find themselves at the disposal of human beings. Nevertheless, it is the use of plastic bags that beats all the other plastic appliances. Supermarkets and other shopping centers, for instance, use them to pack the customers' shopping while some of the products being purchased are usually packed in the same plastic bags. In a world population of 7 billion people, approximately 5 trillion plastic bags are used annually in what translates to the daily use of 700 plastic bags per person (The World Counts, 2018). The fact that people use about 160,000 plastic bags per second is not only shocking, but a fact arising from the highlighted statistics. Out of the 5 trillion bags used in a given year, 300 million find their way into the Atlantic Ocean and thus affecting the aquatic life (The World Counts, 2018). Surprisingly enough the use of such a large amount of plastic bags is not problematic at all but rather the disposal of the same once it has achieved or completed the intended use or task. The majority of human beings throw away the plastic bags after using them like any other waste products into their trash cans. The disposed plastic bags have certain qualities that make non-biodegradable and thus cannot decompose once thrown away into the environment. Apparently, it takes a single plastic bag up to a hundred years to decompose and be incorporated into soil nutrients. Some individuals tend to burn used plastic bags by burning, a method that creates a range of harmful effects to the air that are not only hazardous to the people but the animals and plant life as well. Evidently, the irresponsible disposal of plastic bags has a range of adverse effects to the environment, including human health, aqua system, plant and animal life, as well as its negative impact on the soil. Poor disposal of plastic bags affects the health and well-being of human beings either directly or indirectly. People’s food chain dictates that they depend on consumption of plants for maintaining a healthy nutritious life. The small plastic bag particle taken in by the plants finds its way into the human digestive system through meals or from plastic contaminated water. The plastic bags ingested by human beings contain some percentage of toxic substances such as lead, cadmium, and mercury, which lead to the infection of dangerous or fatal diseases. The burning of plastic bags leads to the increase of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. Plastic bags are byproducts of petroleum and thus contain hydrocarbons which on combustion release carbon dioxide and other poisonous gases into the air (Rinku, 2016). Increased carbon emissions destroy the O-zone layer and thus exposing human beings to ultraviolet rays that are harmful to their skin. Furthermore, it leads to increased global temperatures, which cause climate change witnessed around the world. The effects of global warming and climate change are catastrophic as witnessed during the recent calamity orchestrated by the Tsunami. Poor disposal of plastic bags also affects marine life leading to an imbalance in the aquatic ecosystem due to reduced species as a result of deaths occurring from plastic related contaminations. Out of the 300 million plastic bags that find their way into the Atlantic Ocean, a certain portion comes from ships plying different routes across the water mass. The fact that 20% of the plastic bags disposed in the oceans comes from ships,and offshore platforms further confirm outlined statement while remaining part of the 300 million rests on dumping, littering, and tidal effects on the beach. Fish and other marine inhabitants end up consuming the non-biodegradable plastic pieces which adversely affect their survival as they eventually cause death. Turtles, for instance, are the worst affected by consumption of plastics with over 100,000 killed annually from consuming plastics. Additionally, the fish that consume the poisonous plastics form part of a human being’s food chain, hence further posing health concerns to the people. Another important aspect of human life that is affected by careless disposal of plastic bags is the agricultural sector due to the negative impact on the soil. Plastic bags do not decompose and thus lead to retarded growth in plants as they prevent the consumption of important nutrients necessary for growth and development (Abduall, 2011). Retarded growth in plants leads to reduced yields in agriculture and consequently reduced food supply for both the people and the animals depending on sufficient plant supply. The plastic bags also prevent the roots of plants to spread through the soil in search of the required nutrients as they lead to a prolonged decomposition period of other materials within their vicinity. Lack of efficient plastic bags disposal methods leads to environmental and air pollution whose effects on life in its entirety are a cause for major concern among all the key stakeholders or human beings, to put it precisely. Innovative disposal techniques should be critically discussed,and the best method recommended for immediate implantation to save the future generation from facing the dangers posed by the use of plastic bags. Having clearly established where the problem lies, it is only fitting that a viable and practical solution be instituted to help curb this evident menace. However, while finding a solution to this problem can seem l...