Chemical compounds in plastic disrupt hormonal activity, increase cancer risk, are associated with weight gain and insulin resistance, and affect the human reproductive system. Ingestion of plastic by humans leads to bioaccumulation in various organs of the body, and microplastics have been detected in blood and even breast milk.
The dangerous impact of plastics goes way beyond landfills and the environment – it’s no longer just about billions of plastic items choking our waterways, littering our land and getting into our soil. The way this material has leached into our lives, it will be difficult to reverse the harm in the short term.
However, despite awareness of its threat to human health and biodiversity, plastic production continues to show explosive growth numbers – touching 380 million tons per year. More than 500 billion plastic bags were produced worldwide just last year alone, most of them used only once and discarded into the environment. Plastic beverage containers totalling 100 billion were sold last year in the US. Less than 5% of these plastics go into recycling with the rest ending up in landfills. Is it any surprise then, that the US spends more than $250 billion on healthcare costs arising out of plastic-linked illnesses?
“Many plastic bags have a working life of a few minutes, followed by an afterlife of centuries,” states EarthDay.org, an environmental organisation that works with more than 150,000 partners in over 192 countries worldwide to drive positive action for our planet.
Taking a firm step towards creating a plastic-free future for generations to come, EarthDay.org has initiated a global Planet Vs Plastics movement that calls for a 60% reduction in the production of plastics by 2040. This organisation aims to achieve this objective by promoting widespread awareness about the dangers of plastic to humans, animals and the environment; and phasing out single use plastics by 2030.
“The word ‘environment’ means what surrounds you. In the case of plastics we have become the product itself – it flows through our bloodstream, adheres to our internal organs, and carries with it heavy metals known to cause cancer and disease. Now this once-thought amazing and useful product has become something else, and our health and that of all other living creatures hangs in the balance,” says Kathleen Rogers, president of EarthDay.org.
“The Planet Vs Plastics campaign is a call to arms, a demand that we act now to end the scourge of plastics and safeguard the health of every living being upon our planet,” she says.
According to Aidan Charron, director of End Plastic Initiatives at EarthDay.org, the 60% reduction in plastic production can be achieved by completely banning single use plastics, and using recyclable and longer lasting materials such as glass and wood.
“It's time to call on our leaders to support the phase-down of plastics, they had their heyday, and it's time to move beyond them. Let's shoot for a 60% reduction of production by 2040. We can do it, we just need those in power to listen to the vast majority of people who support it,” Charron says.
Image source: EarthDay.org
