PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT

May 28, 2018 Editorial

The planet is changing and we should help it change for the better. Pollution is affecting the planet but the good news is that every one of us can help to reduce it and protect and sustain the planet for future generations.
The undeniable reality is every one of us has some form of impact on the environment in which we live. However, the extent to which we negatively impact the environment can be mitigated through a number of means.
Whether it is through large or small efforts, there are many ways that everyone can help preserve the health of the environment. We must protect our environment and not degrade or abuse it.
There are many issues that are responsible for the destruction of the environment. Global climate change may be the environmental cause du jour, but it is not the only issue. There are numerous causes to environmental destruction just as there are numerous things that can be done to mitigate the damage.
Last year, the government took the bold step to ban the use of disposable styrofoam containers. This landmark step has enabled Guyana to join in the global effort to reduce the damage to the environment.
While the government’s ban of styrofoam containers is a good start, it is not enough. It should join the other countries including those in Africa to ban or impose stiff penalties on the use of plastic bags.
As a people, we must accept some personal responsibility for the manner in which we treat waste and dispose of garbage, especially plastic bags. For decades, the use of plastic bags and styrofoam containers has wreaked havoc on the environment. However, consistent enforcement and harsh penalties are needed for compliance or else the ban will not work.
Recently, plastic bags have gone from being a tolerated nuisance to a widely despised vice. Its adverse impacts on the environment are undeniable. From flooding to mosquito-breeding sites, plastic bags have been a nightmare for communities by piling up in landfills, blocking storm drains, littering streets, getting stuck in trees and contaminating oceans, where fish, seabirds, and other marine animals eat them or get tangled up in them.
The Earth Policy Institute based in Washington, DC, estimates that one trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year. That is phenomenal growth given the fact that the first plastic sandwich bag was introduced in 1957.
While it is convenient for shoppers to tote their purchases in plastic bags, this convenience has taken a huge toll on the environment. Animals and marine life are at risk because of the continued use of plastic bags. It is estimated that more than 250 species of animals have been harmed by ingesting plastic or becoming entangled in the discarded material.
Plastic bags are made of polyethylene, a material produced by petroleum and natural gas, which is not biodegradable and take up to a million years to decompose. When they are indiscriminately discarded, the winds toss them along the roadway, in drains and waterways, and they wash up on the shores.
Countries have employed several measures such as banning, the imposition of taxes and fines to put some teeth into the effort to curb the use of plastic bags.
However, more than fifteen countries in Africa are at the forefront of curbing the use of plastic bags. Many have banned the use of plastic bags and others have imposed taxes on their production, distribution and use.
Littering is a behavioral choice, and too many of us treat the environment with scant regard by our reckless disposal of garbage.

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