Post by account_disabled on Mar 13, 2024 8:32:13 GMT
The fight against plastic is not the only urgent threat, as determined by a team of leading environmental experts, led by the University of Nottingham, who warned that the fight against plastic is detracting from the biggest threats to the environment . atmosphere .
In an article published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal, Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews (WIREs) Water , the experts say that while plastic waste is a problem, its prominence in the general public's concern for the environment is overshadowing the greatest threats, for example, climate change and biodiversity loss .
The fight against plastic can encourage the use of alternative materials that are also harmful
The interdisciplinary team maintains that much of the discourse around plastic waste is based on data that is not always representative of the environments that have been sampled. The fight agai Caseno Email List nst plastic associated with this could encourage the use of alternative materials with potentially greater harmful effects.
fight against plastic
The authors warn that plastic pollution dominates public concern for the environment and has been exploited politically, after capturing the world's attention, for example, through emotive images of wildlife trapped in plastic waste and alarmist headlines.
They say small political gestures, such as legislation banning cosmetic microplastics, taxes on plastic bags and financial incentives for the use of reusable packaging, as well as promoting products as 'green' for containing less plastic than alternatives , runs the risk of instilling a complacency in society towards others. environmental problems that are not as tangible as plastic pollution.
Plastic pollution should not be misrepresented
The authors of the article call on the media and others to ensure that the realities of plastic pollution are not misrepresented, particularly in public dissemination of the problem, and urge the government to minimize the environmental impact of excessive consumption, due to inconvenience whatever, through the design of the product. truly circular waste management, and policy considered rather than reactionary.
Dr Tom Stanton, co-author who led the work while in the Waste Research Group at the School of Geography and Food, Water at the University of Nottingham, said: "We are seeing an unprecedented commitment to environmental issues, in particularly plastic pollution, from the public and We believe this presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to promote other potentially larger environmental problems.
“This is a key moment to highlight and address areas such as the 'throwaway' culture in society and the review of waste management. However, if plastic continues to be prioritized, this opportunity will be lost, and at great cost to our environment."
The article also highlights that plastics are not the only type of polluting material from human activity.
Yes, they are not the only ones that pollute the environment, other examples include:
Natural textile fibers such as cotton and wool
Spheroidal carbonaceous particles (remains of fossil fuels)
Vehicle brake wear particles
All of these are present in different places, where they can have adverse environmental effects. The authors point out that these materials are usually much more abundant than microplastics and some, such as glass, aluminum, paper and natural fibers, are associated with 'plastic alternatives' that are marketed as solutions to plastic pollution, but in They are actually a side step. the inconvenience of changing consumption practices at the root of the problem.
In an article published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal, Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews (WIREs) Water , the experts say that while plastic waste is a problem, its prominence in the general public's concern for the environment is overshadowing the greatest threats, for example, climate change and biodiversity loss .
The fight against plastic can encourage the use of alternative materials that are also harmful
The interdisciplinary team maintains that much of the discourse around plastic waste is based on data that is not always representative of the environments that have been sampled. The fight agai Caseno Email List nst plastic associated with this could encourage the use of alternative materials with potentially greater harmful effects.
fight against plastic
The authors warn that plastic pollution dominates public concern for the environment and has been exploited politically, after capturing the world's attention, for example, through emotive images of wildlife trapped in plastic waste and alarmist headlines.
They say small political gestures, such as legislation banning cosmetic microplastics, taxes on plastic bags and financial incentives for the use of reusable packaging, as well as promoting products as 'green' for containing less plastic than alternatives , runs the risk of instilling a complacency in society towards others. environmental problems that are not as tangible as plastic pollution.
Plastic pollution should not be misrepresented
The authors of the article call on the media and others to ensure that the realities of plastic pollution are not misrepresented, particularly in public dissemination of the problem, and urge the government to minimize the environmental impact of excessive consumption, due to inconvenience whatever, through the design of the product. truly circular waste management, and policy considered rather than reactionary.
Dr Tom Stanton, co-author who led the work while in the Waste Research Group at the School of Geography and Food, Water at the University of Nottingham, said: "We are seeing an unprecedented commitment to environmental issues, in particularly plastic pollution, from the public and We believe this presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to promote other potentially larger environmental problems.
“This is a key moment to highlight and address areas such as the 'throwaway' culture in society and the review of waste management. However, if plastic continues to be prioritized, this opportunity will be lost, and at great cost to our environment."
The article also highlights that plastics are not the only type of polluting material from human activity.
Yes, they are not the only ones that pollute the environment, other examples include:
Natural textile fibers such as cotton and wool
Spheroidal carbonaceous particles (remains of fossil fuels)
Vehicle brake wear particles
All of these are present in different places, where they can have adverse environmental effects. The authors point out that these materials are usually much more abundant than microplastics and some, such as glass, aluminum, paper and natural fibers, are associated with 'plastic alternatives' that are marketed as solutions to plastic pollution, but in They are actually a side step. the inconvenience of changing consumption practices at the root of the problem.
