October 28, 2019
The focus needs to be on making the way
The focus needs to be on making the way we live more sustainable by questioning
our overly consumerist lifestyles that are at the root China plastic bottle machine
Manufacturers of major challenges such as climate change, rather than a
narrower focus on sustainable consumer choices, such as buying our takeaway
coffee in a reusable cup. Consumers drive markets and consumer choices will
therefore create change in the industry.
And failure to do so could lead to
massive systemic impacts to the Earth’s capacity to support life – particularly
the human race. Climate change and biodiversity loss are also considered core
planetary boundaries meaning if they are exceeded for a prolonged time, they can
shift the planet into new, less hospitable, stable states. Studies on the
toxicity effects, especially to humans are often overplayed..*The article was
originally published by The Conversation Global Perspectives. This includes
longer-term and more effective solutions to the plastic problem but also
extending to more radical large-scale initiatives to reduce consumption,
decarbonise economies and move beyond materialism as the basis for our
well-being.
Yes, we know plastic can entangle birds, fish and marine mammals,
which can starve after filling their stomachs with plastics and yet there are no
conclusive studies on population level effects of plastic pollution.This is not
to distract from the fact that some significant steps have been taken to help
the planet environmentally by reducing plastic waste.Here's how our obsession
with plastic pollution is distracting our attention from bigger environmental
challenges. But it is important not to forget the need for large-scale systemic
changes needed internationally to tackle all environmental concerns. Research
shows for example, that plastic is not as great a threat to oceans as climate
change or over-fishing.But by making these small changes, plastic still appears
to be an issue we can address. These changes could start to happen within the
current century.Alternative products can often have different but equally severe
environmental problems.
These "clear and present dangers†of climate change and
biodiversity loss could undermine the capacity of our planet to support over
seven billion people, with the loss of homes, food sources and livelihoods. And
the benefits of these small-scale consumer driven changes are often minor. In
2009, the concept of planetary boundaries was introduced by the Stockholm
Resilience Centre, to indicate safe operating limits for the Earth from a number
of environmental threats. It could lead to major disruptions of our ways of
life, by making many areas uninhabitable due increased temperatures and rising
sea levels. But what if all of this just provides a convenient distraction from
some of the more serious environmental issues?
In our new article in the journal
Marine Policy we argue plastic pollution or more accurately the response of
governments and industry to addressing plastic pollution provides a "convenient
truth†that distracts from addressing the real environmental threats such as
climate change.Single use plastics are now high on the agenda, with many people
trying to do their bit to reduce usage. Partly fuelled by the success of the
BBC’s ‘Blue Planet II’ series, people are more aware than ever before about the
dangers to wildlife caused by plastic pollution, as well as the impact it can
have on human health, with industries promising money to tackle the issue.
Much
of the news focused on what individuals could do to reduce their carbon
footprint, although some articles did also indicate the need for collective
action. Take, for example, energy-efficient light bulbs – in practice, using
these has been shown to have very little effect on a person’s overall carbon
footprint. Climate change and biodiversity loss are also considered core
planetary boundaries meaning if they are exceeded for a prolonged time, they can
shift the planet into new, less hospitable, stable states.Three boundaries were
found to have exceeded: biodiversity loss, nitrogen flows and climate change. We
must reform the way we live rather than tweak the choices we make.
Despite many
scientists’ misgivings about the project and its recent failed attempts to
collect plastic the project is still attractive to many as it allows us to
tackle the issue without having to make any major lifestyle changes. Now is not
the time to be distracted by the convenient truth of plastic pollution, as the
relatively minor threats this poses are eclipsed by the global systemic threats
of climate change. (Photo: Representational/Pixabay) UK: By now, most of us have
heard that the use of plastics is a big issue for the environment.
But this is
not the case. The Ocean Cleanup of plastic pollution, which aims to sieve
plastic out of the sea, is a classic example.5ËšC.In October last year the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) produced a report detailing
drastic action needed to limit global warming to 1.There is a narrow window of
opportunity to address the critical challenge of, in particular, climate
change.
That’s not to say plastic pollution isn’t a problem, rather there are
much bigger problems facing the world we live in, specifically climate
change.Despite the importance of this message, environmental news has been
dominated by the issues of plastic pollution. So it’s not surprising that so
many people think ocean plastics are the most serious environmental threat to
the planet.Taking a stand against plastic, by carrying reusable coffee cups, or
eating in restaurant chains where only paper straws are provided, is the classic
neo-liberal response
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