Lecture on Plastic Pollution

Introduction

• Story of King Midas:
  • Midas wished everything he touched would turn to gold.
  • Initially delighted but faced consequences: food, daughter turned to gold.
  • Parallel to humanity's invention of plastic.

What is Plastic?

• Origin and Composition:
  • Invented 100 years ago.
  • Made from synthetic polymers created by breaking down crude oil.
  • Polymers are long chains of molecule groups.
• Natural Occurrence:
  • Found in cell walls, silk, hair, and DNA.
• Synthetic Polymers:
  • Lightweight, durable, moldable.
  • Easy to mass-produce, cheap raw materials.

Rise of Plastic Usage

• Golden Era of Plastics:
  • Usage in Bakelite, PVC, acrylic, nylon.
• Ubiquity in Modern Life:
  • Found in clothes, electronics, cars, etc.
• Transformation to Trash:
  • Predominantly used for disposable packaging.
  • 40% of plastic for packaging.

Environmental Impact

• Durability of Plastic:
  • Takes 500-1000 years to decompose.
  • Misuse for short-term goods.
• Waste Statistics:
  • 8.3 billion metric tons produced.
  • 6.3 billion metric tons have become waste.
  • 79% remains, 9% recycled, 12% burned.
• Ocean Pollution:
  • 8 million tons of plastic enter oceans annually.
  • Marine life affected, e.g., seabirds, sperm whale.

Microplastics

• Definition and Sources:
  • Particles smaller than 5mm.
  • Found in cosmetics; result of UV exposure.
• Environmental Presence:
  • 51 trillion particles in the ocean.
  • Found in honey, sea salt, beer, tap water.

Health Concerns

• Chemical Additives:
  • BPA affects hormones.
  • DEHP linked to cancer.
• Human Contamination:
  • Common plastic additives found in human bodies.
• Need for More Research:
  • Current science inconclusive.

Balancing Plastic Use

• Complex Trade-offs:
  • Alternatives to plastic have different environmental impacts.
  • Example: Cotton bag vs. plastic bag.
• Benefits of Plastic:
  • Prevents food waste.

Global Perspective

• Sources of Pollution:
  • 10 rivers in Asia and Africa contribute 90% of ocean plastic.
  • Infrastructure development needed in industrialized countries.
• Global Solutions:
  • Investment in infrastructure and addressing pollution at home essential.

Conclusion

• Call to Action:
  • Individual actions matter: refuse disposables, advocate for policy change.
  • Collaborative effort needed to combat plastic pollution.
• UN Environment Partnership:
  • Clean Seas campaign encourages personal pledges to reduce plastic use.