ബാലികാമഠം ഗേൾസ് ഹയർസെക്കണ്ടറി സ്കൂൾ തിരുവല്ല/അക്ഷരവൃക്ഷം/Plastic Pollution
PLASTIC POLLUTION
Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic objects and particles (e.g.:-plastic bottles, bags and micro beads) in the Earth’s environment that adversely affects wild life, wildlife habitat, and humans. Plastic that act as pollutants are categorized into micro meso-,or macro debris, based on size. Plastics are in expensive and durable, and as a result levels of plastic production by humans are high. However, the chemical structure of most plastics renders them resistant to many natural process of degradation and as a result they are slow to degrade. Together, these two factors have led to a high prominence of plastic pollution in the environment. Plastic pollution can afflict land, water ways and oceans. It is estimated that 1.1 million to 8.8 million tonnes of plastic waste enters the ocean from coastal communities each year. Living organisms, particular marine animals, can be harmed either by mechanical effects, such as entanglement in plastic objects, problems related to ingestion of plastic waste, or through expos cue to chemicals within plastics that inter face with their physiology. Effects on human include disruption of various hormonal mechanisms. As of 2018, about 380 million tonnes of plastic is produced world wide each year. From the 1950’s up to 2018, an estimated 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced world wide, of which an estimated 90/0 has been recycled and another 120/0 has been incinerated. This large amount of plastic waste enters the environment, with studies suggesting that the bodies of 900/0 of sea birds contain plastic debris. In some areas there have been significant efforts to reduce the prominence of free range plastic pollution, through reducing plastic consumption, litter clean up and promoting plastic recycling. ▪Effects on the Environment The distribution of plastic debris is highly variable as a result of certain factors such as wind and ocean currents, coastline geography, urban areas, and trade routes. Human population in certain areas also plays a large role in this. Plastics are more likely to be found in enclosed regions such as the Caribbean. It serves as a means of distribution of organisms to remote coasts that are not their native environments. This could potentially increase the variability and dispersal of organisms in specific areas that are less biologically diverse. Plastic can also be used as vectors for chemical contaminants such as persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals. ▪Effects of Plastic on Land Plastic pollution on land poses a threat to the plants and animals – including humans who are based on the land. Estimates of the amount of plastic concentration on land are between four and twenty three times that of the ocean. The amount of plastic poised on the land is greater and more concentrated than that in the water. Mismanaged plastic wastes ranges from 60 percent in East Asia and Pacific to one percent in East Asia. The percentage of mismanaged plastic waste reaching the ocean annually and thus becoming plastic marine debris is between one third and one half the total mismanaged waste for that year. Chlorinated Plastic can release harmful chemicals into the surrounding soil, which can then seep into groundwater or other surrounding water sources and also the ecosystem of the world. This can cause serious harm to the species that drink the water.
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