How did the use of plastic, whose place in human history dates back to the last century, become one of the leading environmental problems today?
Plastic is used in many fields, from medicine to space. Plastic, used in numerous sectors, from automobile and aircraft production to industrial animal husbandry, has become the cornerstone of industrialism. If plastic is not used, many products used in modern life will disappear. It has become increasingly difficult to remove plastic, which creates a comfort zone, from daily life.
Plastic has positive effects as well as adverse effects on the world. Especially in the field of medicine, the role of plastic in life-saving machines is excellent. In the same way, it provided fuel savings by making airplanes or automobiles lighter. Thus, carbon emissions have decreased. However, the habit of a one-time use of plastic has negatively affected the world and has begun to create wastes that cannot be recycled. The consumption rate has increased day by day. Therefore, it has caused a sociological change in societies that have become a habit. Consuming single-use plastics is now a behavior for communities.
Disposable plastic products today correspond to 40% of the plastic produced yearly. Most disposable products are plastic bags, food, and beverage packaging. These products, whose lifespan varies between minutes and hours, are collected as garbage after use, most of which cannot be recycled. It remains insoluble in nature for centuries, preserving its fossil fuel-based content. The raw materials of plastic threaten the health of all living things, making it challenging to maintain the ecological order and increase the cost.
Plastic pollution is increasing day by day. Garbage storage systems must be improved for areas where plastics cannot be recycled. It has started to form large heaps, especially in undeveloped areas. The adverse effects of pollution have reached profound dimensions today. While plastic production was limited to 2.3 million tons in the 1950s, it reached 448 million tons in 2015. The number is estimated to double by 2050 to close to 1 trillion. The unavoidable rapid increase and the harmful effects of pollution will increase and reach dangerous dimensions for the ecological balance.
Author:
Furkan Ünal
Source:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/plastic-pollution
https://www.unep.org/plastic-pollution
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/42810179
https://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/health/case_studies/plastics.
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