Andreoni, M. (2023, January 6). The plastic problem. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/06/climate/plastics-climate-pollution.html
The development of plastic in modern society has made resources more widely available. It has developed modern medicine, but the impact of plastic has detrimental effects on climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Countries are now working on a treaty that might reduce the amount of plastic in the world to help prevent change in our ecosystems. Some countries with big fossil fuel producers, which are used to make plastics, favor a volunteer recycling treaty. However, about 40% of plastics are non-recyclable plastics. Whereas, other countries are pushing for a treaty to reduce the amount of plastic produced in total.
The article showcases two developing opinions on what to do with plastic production. The article is related to environmental studies because the production and use of plastic around the world have had a great impact on our ecosystem, like loss of biodiversity and climate change because of the greenhouse gases the production of plastic releases. It makes sense that the biggest contributor to climate change in the world also would not want to stop producing plastics, but the impact of plastics is far more important, particularly now. With the amount that global warming and pollution have already affected our communities, now is the time to change how we use plastics. While the U.S. is one of the countries that will probably resist a very limiting treaty, it is important that we are still apart and help obtain this bigger development.
Your understanding of the plastic issue’s environmental impact is clear. In light of the debate over recycling vs. reducing production, how can countries work together to create a treaty on plastic sustainability, given the potential resistance from fossil fuel-producing nations?
Thanks for commenting on my post! I don’t think that there is a perfect answer to your question, but I think that given the reality of fossil fuel burning and the impact plastic has on the environment, many countries might be forced into these treaties. Or, worst case, some countries are left out of bigger treaties about plastic and fossil fuel burning.
I agree that while plastic has brought convenience, its environmental impact, including climate change and pollution, cannot be ignored. As countries debate plastic reduction strategies, finding a balance between regulation of materials and resource availability is supper important. How can we ensure that efforts to reduce plastic production are effective even in countries with minimal economic leeway?