Plastic’s Growth
Plastic first started being produced in the early 1900s and has since been used as material for anything from bottles to computers to helmets. Plastic has continued to be relied on heavily since its creation and, “Global plastic production has grown from 2 million tons in the 1950s to 400 million tons in 2015, with half of all plastic produced in the past 13 years” (Shershneva, 2021). This is the exact opposite of what is needed in order to be sustainable and look out for the environment. By the middle of the century, the accumulated plastic in our ocean will exceed the weight of all fish (Shershneva, 2021). There is not really a proper way to dispose of plastics besides recycling, so countries either let it pile up in landfills, throw it in the ocean, or give it to other countries to let them deal with it.
Significant Events
References
Moore, C. (2021, November 17). plastic pollution. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/plastic-pollution
Shershneva, E. G. (2021). Plastic waste: Global impact and ways to reduce environmental harm. IOP Conference Series.Materials Science and Engineering, 1079(6) doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/1079/6/062047
