Plastic is used so often for its durability, but subsequently its durability is causing a huge threat to the environment. Plastic is made of polymer chains that don’t dissolve in water, making them had to decompose. However, scientists have been working on increasing the productivity of a bacteria that can break plastic down and convert it into food. This bacteria is called Ideonella Sakaieis 201-f6 and they can penetrate plastics dense, crystalline structure and split bonds with an enzyme to extract carbon as a fuel source. Scientists and working not to subtly change the enzymes to work more effectively. One concern, however, is that if this bacteria is released into the wild it could quickly get out of hand and make plastics less durable, leading to a whole slew of problems.

 

Plastic pollution is far reaching over the globe, and is one of the biggest environmental hazards due to how slowly plastics decompose. The use of plastic eating bacteria could be a great  way to tackle this problem and seems to have a very promising future. Although this won’t be the only solution to plastic pollution it definitely is a start. It is interesting how quickly bacteria change to respond to the environment, as these bacteria aren’t man made, they developed themselves, but are being modified by scientists. We will have to be extremely careful if we do choose to deploy these bacteria in nature as it is possible that they could quickly get out of hand.  

 

 

Editorial Board, 20 July 2018, “Protecting the Oceans, One Straw at a Time.” Chicagotribune.com, http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-straw-ban-starbucks-mcdonalds-20180709-story.html

 

A video of a sea turtle with a straw in its nose sparked outrage and now companies and cities are taking action against single use plastics. Starbucks, Hyatt Hotels, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises and the  Chicago White Socks are all planning to jettison plastic straws within the next few years. McDonald’s also plans to switch to paper straws in British and Irish locations. Seattle has already banned single use plastic straws, and many other cities and states are considering legislation against plastic straws. Scientists predict that plastic could exceed fish in the ocean in as little as three decades. Right now for every 1 pound of fish we take out of the ocean two pounds of plastic are put in.

 

This is fantastic that big corporations are taking a stand against single use plastics. This is definitely shows a shift in consumer awareness and general concern for the state of our planet. It is quite distressing how quickly we are dumping plastic into our ocean, and how much that is changing the ecosystems that are so critical to the health of our planet. Plastic pollution is no longer something that can be avoided and I’m so glad that people are becoming more and more aware. It also is one thing for the general public to become more informed, but the fact that legislature is also being passed and major corporations are willing to change shows a real shift.

 

 

 

Nicola Jones, 19 July 2018,  “Some Plastic Pollution Isn’t Plastic After All”, Hakai Magazine, https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/some-plastic-pollution-isnt-plastic-after-all/

 

Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters across that are mainly a result from plastic deterioration. 1.4 million tons are dumped into the ocean each year and they are found everywhere, even in the most pristine areas. However, a new study on shellfish found that a majority of what was previously thought to be microplastics were actually small natural fibers. Researchers now believe that they may have overestimated microplastic pollution, however this does not negate the fact that microplastics are still an environmental hazard.

 

This article is great news that there is less microplastic than we previously thought, however microplastic is still a huge issue to marine life. Filter feeders, often the base of an  ecosystem, eat microplastics which can kill them, which could lead to huge changes in the ecosystem. The full effects of microplastics on ecosystems is yet to be fully understood, and we need more research on microplastics, as more plastic degrades in the ocean, the higher the levels of microplastics there will be. I also think that there needs to be more education on this topic and awareness around how consumers choices directly impact the environment.

Chris Mooney, 22 March 2018, “Plactic within the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is ‘increasing exponentially,’ scientists find”, Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/03/22/plastic-within-the-great-pacific-garbage-patch-is-increasing-exponentially-scientists-find/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.55acdefdc6d7

 

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a huge swirling collection of plastic caused by currents in the middle of the pacific ocean the 3 times the size of France. This mass of small and large pieces of plastic is 79 thousand tons and increasing exponentially. A new expedition revealed that is is now 4 to 16 times the size it was supposed. The patch isn’t getting larger, just thicker and is only expected to get deeper as it is predicted that the 8 million tons of plastic we dump in the ocean every year will increase by 22% by 2025.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is one of the many symptoms of our culture’s obsession with plastic. The effects of plastic pollution is seen everywhere, in microplastic in food, destruction of the environment, and the deaths of marine life, however nowhere is it seen more than in the Great Pacific  Garbage Patch. It is a real wake up call for everyone that our use of plastics need to change drastically if we are going to continue to survive on this planet. This study also found that fishing pollution accounted for nearly half of all plastics. Fishing is a huge issue that creates a lot of plastic waste and should be focused on more often when addressing plastic pollution.

 

Elizabeth Solis Kim, 2 September 2018, “the anti- plastic campaign is helpful- but if we want to save marine life, we have to stop eating fish”, Independent, https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/fish-plastic-straw-ban-marine-life-ocean-environment-francis-perez-a8518351.html

 

This article by the independent details how the anti straw and anti plastic movement is beginning to take hold of consumers and legislators alike. More cities and companies, like Starbucks and Seattle, are starting to ban straws and switch to more sustainable options besides plastic. However, straws only account for .03% of all plastic that ends up in the ocean. An expedition to the great pacific garbage patch revealed that 46% of all plastic is due to commercial fishing, especially “ghost nets” used for catching large hauls of fish. Additionally  40% of all fish caught by those nets are bycatch. If the anti plastic and anti straw campaigns are aimed to save marine life, focusing on quitting eating fish is more effective than banning straws for the environment and the animals.

 

I completely agree with this article. One of the most polluting industries for the marine environment is the fishing industry, especially since 40% of all fish caught are bycatch and usually thrown back dead or dying. Their nets often are carelessly discarded after use and lead to even more destruction as animals easily become entrapped by them. I love that consumers are becoming more conscious about plastic use and especially how it affects the ecosystems around us, however, I hope that people become more educated and continue to improve their buying habits, especially concerning fish.