Van Jones's Ted Talk: A Case Study

With over 5000 types of plastics, Heather explains that the problem is very complex. As plastic ends up in marine ecosystems it begins to pollute and has massive monetary effects. Marine litter costs Europeans billions annually though cleanup projects, damage to vessels, and fish catches. Heather also mentioned the harmful amounts of microbeads, which Megan Leslie banned in Canada, in the oceans that are harming small ocean ecosystems. She explained that the effects of marine litter on the economy and ecosystems are extensive, however she noted that there is one place that we haven't check for the harmful effects of plastic. People! Plastics are made with harmful toxic chemicals and it only makes sense that people would be as negatively affected by plastic as our ecosystems and economies are. When asked if parents should be worried about the plastic toys parents buy their children Heather explained how when children put plastic toys in their mouths they are potentially being exposed to toxic flame retardants. Heather explained that our economy is linear, which means it destructively uses finite resources and creates waste. Heather believes that we must create circular economies that feed into each other which would allow us to reuse our resources and recycle our waste (Leslie, H. 2017, February, 2). The idea of a circular economy relates back to the “Green Economics” where

Liborion notes that some plastics like PVC become flexible when creators add chemical additive monomers like BPA, making it versatile (Liborion 9). However, monomers are often hazardous to living things. The monomers like BPA are endocrine disruptors, correlating with brain development and fertility problems (12). The monomers give the plastic versatility but also give it agency to cause health problems. The plastic’s intrinsic properties also harm the environment as it affects marine life. The plastic’s hydrophobic properties also give it agency. Since hydrophobic substances attract each other, the plastic attracts dangerous, hydrophobic pesticides like DDt and HCH as it “moves across parking lots, down sewage systems, through harbors, and into open water” (14). Consequently, the marine and wildlife near/in the ocean consumes the substances, increasing chemicals in the ecosystem. This unintentional situation of biomagnification demonstrates its dangerous, inherent agency to harm the environment. The technology of plastic exhibits agency independent of its creator by affecting the natural environment with toxins from its hydrophobic property and additive monomer. However, the technology and consumer also display this complex

will be the near future of our world, are the key to this problem. Using tactics like this will

Where does all the plastic go. Every bit of plastic that has been created is still here. This is because plastic is one-hundred percent non-biodegradable! Even the most degraded plastic down to polymers cannot be digested by bacteria (Laist, 1997). If global issues like starvation and climate change are not enough to stress on, the weight of an issue literally churning in the Pacific Ocean is startling. For decades the majority of the world’s population has not been properly educated on the nature of plastic and the potential harm it can do to our environment and our physical health. Due to factors of man and the natural effects of nature, a major problem has developed that is now harming our food.

The next time you are out for a run, walk, or bike ride, count the number of plastic bottles you see on the ground. I have done this and it is mind boggling. The environmental concerns caused by producing, distributing, and disposing of plastic water bottles is under scrutiny by various public interest groups. The negative impact of plastic water bottles on our environment is real and requires action. The production of these bottles needs to stop because they pose an ongoing threat to the health of the environment. One main reason plastic water bottles should not be produced is because they create a health risk to the environment. Plastic bottles are made of a petroleum product known as PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) and these bottles require large amounts of fossil fuel to make and transport them. Even though fossil fuel is a major energy source used in the world today, overconsumption can lead to serious environmental issues such as air pollution. According to the journal article “Message in the Bottle,” it is estimated that the total energy needed to make, transport, and dispose of one plastic bottle of water is equivalent to filling the same bottle one-quarter full of oil. This is a great deal of oil to produce just one nonreusable water bottle. It also takes three liters of water to produce a one-liter plastic bottle of water (“Message in a Bottle”). In addition to this, it can take plastic bottles up to five hundred years to decompose, and during the decomposition

Plastic bags have been used on a daily basis since 1977 (Williamson, 2003) as a means of carrying items such as groceries as they are not only convenient but also cheap. However, the over-use of plastic bags has posed significant threats to the environment in recent times as they are non-biodegradable and also a threat to wildlife. The primary reason for this concern is that plastics bags are not re-used, but simply disposed of in landfills.

Plastics are one of the most used materials on a volume basis in U.S. industrial and commercial use. Plastics are commonly into today’s lifestyle and make a major contribution to virtually all product areas. Although the plastics industry in the United States is now in its second century, the most important developments have occurred since 1910. The roots of these modern developments go back not only to the research of cellulose nitrate by John Wesley Hyatt in the 1860s, but also to the plastic-like compositions used by man through the centuries. Humans probably don’t realize how often we use plastics or use something that has plastic particles. From the bristles on our toothbrushes, to bulletproof vest, to fibers that help in the making

Plastics have hazardous influences on human health. It takes huge amounts of chemicals and fossil energizes to produce plastics. The type of plastics that we frequently use, contains a chemical called Bisphenol-A “known as BPA” and other types of chemicals (Ellsbury, 2012). BPA can interferes with human body and modifies hormones, which has been proven to be dangerous to human health. In addition, various types of serious health problems have been strongly related to BPA (Lights, 2012). For instance, certain types of cancer, impaired immune function, early onset of puberty, obesity, diabetes, and hyperactivity (Adverse Health Effects of Plastics, n.d.). Research has shown that BPA enters human body through exposure to plastics, such as plastic bottles. Moreover, risks of these bottles increase even more if they expose to high temperatures, because the plastic will secrete its harmful chemicals into drinks (Lights, 2012).

Environmentally plastic toys pose a serious threat to people, animals, and our land. Every other month a recall is placed on something plastic whether a toy, kitchen appliance, or car part. Time after time, recalls about plastic in fish and other food sources or

The human population has led to the accumulation of huge amounts of non-degradable waste materials across our planet. The problem of environmental pollution was caused by indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste has assumed global proportions. They are used in almost all industries, especially for packaging and they account for more than 50% of total consumption, especially they are used for bottling and baling. They

They consume growing amounts of energy and other natural resources, degrading the environment in numerous ways. In addition to using up fossil fuels and other resources, plastic products create litter, hurt marine life, and threaten the basis of life on earth. There is over 45 million tons of plastics per year and nearly every piece of plastic ever made still exists today because of its long-life properties. Biodegradable plastics could be an effective solution to all of these problems. Biodegradable plastics are a much better choice than non-biodegradable plastics because they are friendlier to the earth and the environment. Biodegradable plastics break down faster, can be recycled easier and are non-toxic. With these characteristics of biodegradable plastics, we could help save lives and the environment as well and reduce the threat plastics give to marine life. Plastic, the wonder material that we use for everything, is perhaps the most harmful of this trash because it does not readily break down in nature but if it is biodegradable, these plastics break down faster so they have a much shorter effect on the earth, and they will degrade completely. Normal plastics are manufactured using oil, and this process is very harmful to the environment by polluting the air and environment, but this is not the case with green biodegradable plastics. Using biodegradable plastics will minimize the effects that these products

The news on some once-promising plastic alternatives is not so encouraging. A review published last month in Environmental Science and Technology by a group of scientists — one at the polymer science division of the Indian Institute of Technology — finds that “degradable The news on once-promising plastic alternatives is not so

Plastic bags have been a way of life for the last 50 years, and the idea of changing something that has become a staple of our societies grocery stores is unthinkable. As technology increases and society becomes more aware of our environment, the environmental effects of plastic bags have been found to far outweigh the benefits. The main reason behind the negative impact of plastic bags on our environment is the inability to dispose of them in a way that will help eliminate the problem (C.M. Finzi-Quintao, 2016). Burning the bags releases toxic fumes into the atmosphere while landfills hold then indefinitely which has become a worldwide problem with plastics in general. Further, even putting these bags in the recycling bin have shown does not do much good. Nearly all municipalities usually burn or send them off to the landfill regardless due to the expenses needed to recycle this type of plastic due to its difficulty to break down and not being a realistic compound to use for anything else without an overhaul to the facility (Wagner, 2015). Although reversely, the cost of production of paper bags and recyclable bags is something that many do not consider when confronted with the idea of plastic bags and the effects of them on our society. This has led to citizens all over the world to ask themselves if the plastic bag benefits outweigh the costs. Choosing this topic to research stemmed from a common concern as to the environment and the way we are treating it currently, and

Take a look around, plastic is everywhere. From the cars that we drive, to the containers that our food comes in. Nearly, everything we come in contact with contains some sort of plastic. This source has simplified our lives in various ways and has become a major staple of everyday life. We use it for entertainment, communication, and to save lives. But, no matter how convenient plastics are, they still seem to do more damage than good to ourselves and the environment.

Plastics contain toxins- it’s really surprising when we see our grandparents stamina. They are better in terms of health when compared to us. Their healthy life style, no plastics for food were the main reasons for their stamina. Plastics contain huge number of toxic substances which are not only harmful for your health but also capable of making you sick. The main toxin is BPA or Bisphenol A which is a harmful component which is responsible to cause heart problems, hormonal imbalances, harmful effects on brain and diabetes. Hence it is better to avoid plastic containers.