We are going to celebrate ‘Earth Day’ on 22nd of April this year with Earth Day theme is ‘Planet vs. Plastic ‘. Days like Earth Day and Environment Day are celebrated every year. We don’t need a day for this work. We cannot save the earth and the environment with a day’s or a few days’ hard work. We all have to take a life-long pledge for its preservation.
The subject of concern today is neither the Russia-Ukraine war nor human rights, nor any world political event nor a matter of defense of any country. The only issue of contemplation and concern is the continuous and fierce heat, shrinking water sources, efforts to destroy the earth and nature being pushed towards destruction. The availability of everything is going down. There is a shortage of oxygen. At the same time, our facilitative attitude and lifestyle are posing a serious threat to the earth and its environment and nature. Polyethylene made for the convenience of us has become the biggest headache for the earth.
Today, exploitation of nature continues everywhere in the world. Due to which the burning problems on the earth are often melting for several kilometers of solid ice of the North Pole, holes in the ozone layer that prevents the sun’s ultraviolet rays from reaching the earth, fierce storms, tsunamis and many other natural disasters, etc. For which humans are responsible. In the form of global warming that we are facing today.
Plastic ways is causing a terrible environmental problem on the earth. There are 1.5 million tons of plastic in the oceans. There are 82.358 trillion tiny pieces of plastic on the surface of the ocean, most of which have been produced after 2005, when the amount of plastic produced in factories around the world began to increase rapidly. The per capita plastic waste generation rate in India is 3 kg per year, while the per capita single use plastic product rate is 0.2 kg per year.
India is the second largest producer of plastic waste. Per capita plastic waste generation in India is among the lowest in the world. Plastic waste generation per person per year in India is 8 kg. India’s estimated mismanaged waste in 2024 will be 7.4 million tones which is “very high”. A report claimed that on an average, 3, 91,879 tones of micro plastics will be released into the atmosphere and 31,483 tones of chemical additives into waterways in India this year. Scientists at the National Centre for Coastal Research are experimenting with using floating barricades to trap plastic at river mouths to prevent plastic waste from going into the sea. But toxic chemicals from these plastics go into the water, and they cannot be trapped through barricades. These days micro plastics have also been found in human breast milk. Is it safe to drink when mother’s milk is also contaminated?
We desperately need technologies to help safely process and treat the toxic, pathogenic plastic sphere that grows in size every day. If we don’t, it will swallow up the world.
Prof Mithilesh Kumar Sinha,
Department of Economics,
Nagaland University, Lumami.
