Essay On Plastic Pollution

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Our world’s coastlines and oceans are becoming more and more severely saturated with polluted plastics every day. These plastic pollutants present themselves with much diversity and can range from microscopic debris to large and obstructive macroplastics. In regards to the amount and concentration of plastics in a given region, this data can be rather difficult to accurately quantify due to the sheer scope and mobility of the debris. Plastic is still a relatively new technology, with mass production beginning in the 1940s (Kwon, Seon-Yong, Seung-Shik, & Katsuhiko, 2018). Globally, the amount of plastic manufactured has increased at an exponential rate, from 1.7 million tons in 1950 to 311 million tons in 2014 (Kwon, et al., 2018). Plastic pollution in the marine environment initially started to gain attention in the 1970s (Xanthos & Walker, 2017; Karlsson, Arneborg, Broström, Almroth, Gipperth, & Hassellöv, 2018; Čulin & Bielić, 2016). But it was only until more recent decades that the issue of plastic pollution has been identified and regarded as a global problem. Due to its ambiguity of potential harm, scientist and civilians alike see it as a very real and pertinent threat. Global corporate capitalism takes advantage of the production and consumption of plastics…show more content…
According to UN Environment, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May has stated the following: “We’ve all been very concerned by the pictures we’ve seen in recent months of the impact of pollution on marine life, the impact of plastic pollution. We are looking at what more we can do and how we can use overseas aid money to ensure we’re reducing this terrible pollution that is taking place and affecting marine life so devastatingly (Sea Technology, 2018).” As of February 2018, the UK will use funds from its foreign aid budget to fight plastic pollution in developing

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