Plastic in the Environment

Plastic being one of the top littered items on earth has taken a negative effect on our environment regarding climate and geological change. In today’s world plastic is something that we use on a daily basis whether that means the use of water bottles, plastic bags, straws, etc. Although individuals are encouraged to recycle, not everyone does. The fact that plastic takes 450 to 1000 years to decompose can determine the type of negative impact it can have on earth if not recycled properly.

Plastic pollution is an issue that demands worldwide cooperation.

In many cases plastic has been found in oceans which can be harmful to sea animals. Sea turtles, being the number one sea animal being affected by plastic pollution have been found eating plastic bags because they look like jellyfish to them, they have been found with plastic straws up their noses, and some have even been found with plastic around their flippers causing them great pain and preventing them from swimming as well as they normally do. It is not just sea turtles either, sea birds have been found diving for bags because they believe it is food as well. All types of sea creatures have had a negative effect when it comes to plastic and there is absolutely nothing they can do about it. According to the article We Depend on Plastic, Now We`re Drowning In It, Laura Parker states, “ Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by it. Some are harmed visibly—strangled by abandoned fishing nets or discarded six-pack rings. Many more are probably harmed invisibly. Marine species of all sizes, from zooplankton to whales, now eat microplastics, the bits smaller than one-fifth of an inch across.” If we want these animals to survive and our food chain to remain then we as humans need to find a better solution when it comes to plastic. We are killing off our food chain little by little.

Plastic items are not only affecting ocean life, geologists have recently found it to be stratigraphic markers as well. In the article, Plastic Has Become Part of Earths Geology by Carrie Poppy, it states that plastic “…is becoming part of the Earth’s crust, giving it an exact timetable for when that layer of the ground became solid Earth.” Due to the fact that it is becoming one with the Earth’s crust and becoming hardened, in the future, there is a possibility that plastic could one day become fossilized.

The negative effect of plastic has changed many people’s views on whether they should even use plastic anymore. It has gotten to the point where some restaurants that are near the ocean have banned plastic altogether and have decided to use paper items instead. In Monterey County, a city known as Carmel has banned plastic straws altogether, instead of using plastic they are using an alternative such as paper straws.

Plastic items are not only affecting ocean life, geologists have recently found it to be stratigraphic markers as well. In the article, Plastic Has Become Part of Earths Geology by Carrie Poppy, it states that plastic “…is becoming part of the Earth’s crust, giving it an exact timetable for when that layer of the ground became solid Earth.” Due to the fact that it is becoming one with the Earth’s crust and becoming hardened, in the future, there is a possibility that plastic could one day become fossilized.

The impact of plastic pollution is no longer temporary, it is turning into something that we all have to deal with for generations to come. Our futures could all be at stake if nothing is done and if more people do not help find solutions on ways to fix this horrific problem. Our dependency on plastic materials is polluting our only planet and can possibly kill off species in our food chain. Plastic has only been around since the 1950s and has already caused this much damage to our Earth, imagine what it will do in a century from now. Individuals seem to not care so much because they do not see themselves living that long, but what about their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. We have to take into consideration of the future and how we conserve our planet for as long as we can.  

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