Elijah Firebrace & Shah Shakir Report
Humans were able to put a man on the moon, however we are still grappling at solutions to our increasing plastic epidemic. The world is filling up with plastic waste at such an alarming rate it's a problem that surpasses any one government, industry or environmental action group. As discussed in this this great comic published in The Conversation, large environmental issues are best solved by honest discussions between multiple groups affected.
Take Australia's illegal dumping of "recycling" plastic in Malaysia and other developing countries, after China stopped taking the worlds recycled trash. Foreign environmental ministers have vowed to take action to halt the illegal importing, shutting down illegal companies and sending waste back to rich nations including Australia, Canada, US, UK, France and Saudi Arabia.
This begs the question; Can we work together to find a sustainable solution? It's a large problem we simply must solve. Do we all switch to new biodagradable technologies such as bioplastics? (Bioplastics (or bio-based plastics) are be made from renewable resources like cornstarch. Some types of bioplastics are biodegradable but not all of them are. A bio-based plastic is a plastic derived from a renewable source). Studies shown here by New Zealand experts are saying in this article from The Conversation : Why compostable plastic may not be better for the environment . Top scientists are saying that avoidance is best.
Frankly speaking avoidance simply isn't good enough. With too many environmentally unconscious people, ruthless industries and passive governments throughout the world, we cannot take any chances. Environmentalists, industries and government all need to work together to rewrite policy and fund more studies into sustainable technologies. Cleaning the worlds oceans is last on our priorities right now, we need to clean our hearts first.
Thanks for reading.
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