June 5, it is the day in which World Environment Day is celebrated all over the world. Every year on this day, over 143 countries raise awareness on emerging environmental issues. In 1972, UN General Assembly established 5th June as “World Environment Day”. The first World Environment Day was then held 2 years later, in 1974, with the theme “Only One Earth”. Each year World Environment Day has a new theme that major corporations, NGOs, communities, governments and celebrities worldwide adopt to advocate environmental causes. The most alarming environmental issues are taken into account and in order to get or find a solution.
This year the theme for World Environment Day is “Beat Plastic Pollution”. Bangladesh, like the rest of the world, also celebrates this day. A month-long environmental fair is arranged every year. Students from different academies and institutes from all over Bangladesh bring in their ideas and projects related to the theme given. This year’s host India chose the theme for 2018. The objective is to reduce plastic usage and thus pollution. The focus is how we can make changes in our everyday lives to avoid plastic use and save our world.
Yes, plastic is anywhere and everywhere but why are we panicking on this? The most disturbing thing about plastic that it is not biodegradable, meaning, it will stay in the environment longer than most of the things. It has been estimated that the plastic bags can take 20 years to decompose, plastic boxes up to 450 years, and fishing lines 600 years. In fact, it is not known for how long plastics can remain in the ocean. Not only the bottle and containers, plastic can also be found in cosmetics and food that we eat.
Micro plastics, also known as micro beads, are tiny pieces of plastic which are found in personal care products like face wash, toothpaste, or tissue paper. These are designed to eventually go down the drain and into our lakes, rivers and oceans- by billions every day. These micro plastic toxins mix up with the water and they are absorbed and eaten by marine life. The plastic can then make their way up to the food chain and then into our dinner plates. Studies have also found that, there can be plastic in salt too, since the ocean, the source of the salt is full of plastic. It also enters our skin and body through the beauty products we use. There have been many cases where marine animals are found trapped or they have gulped plastic. Some experts think that by 2050, the amount of plastic in the ocean will weigh more than the number of fishes in the ocean.
Although Bangladesh recycles around 50% of the plastic they make, but on a global scale only 9% of what is produced is being recycled. Therefore the government and policymakers around the globe should start thinking of ways, how plastics can be recycled to a level that it no longer becomes an issue. Since plastic pollution is causing most disturbance to ocean life, hence actions need to be taken rapidly.
On a smaller scale, each individual can also do their bit in tackling plastic pollution. Reducing single-use of plastic, avoiding plastic products use like dishes paper personal care products as much as possible, organising plastic waste and recycling plastic at home and creating awareness about the consequences of using too much plastic- all of this can surely make a difference even if it is the size of the grain. A major drawback is that, we lack binding rules for land-based sources of plastic pollution. As the Centre for International Environment Law noted, “Current initiatives to tackle plastic pollution focuses on the symptoms but not the root of the problem.” Although they are no firm laws made yet, but many countries tried to make rules to deal with plastic pollution, but the success rate is not great.
Over the last 10 years, there has been more plastic produced than during the whole of the last century. And in this case our country too is not lagging behind. In the last couple of years, plastic consumption in Bangladesh took a flight. The whole world agrees and know the seriousness of this issue, but ideas and plans are yet to be executed. Thus we must hurry, because all this plastic is not going to disappear on its own.
The writers are associated with teaching and research in Department of Environmental Science at Stamford University Bangladesh.