Thursday, March 27, 2025

The Plastic Waste Crisis: A Threat to Our Planet

The Plastic Waste Crisis: A Threat to Our Planet
By : Jophie Kornelius Persada Meliala
Accepted Date : 13 March 2025

    Plastic waste is a serious threat to the environment because it has very bad impact and can damage ecosystems. Plastic waste pollutes the ocean, harms marine life, and distrupts the food chain. Improper plastic waste management, such as burning, causes air pollution and climate change. Natural disasters like floods happen because people throw plastic waste carelessly, which blocks drainage systems. When burned or decomposed, plastic waste releases harmful pollutants into the air, which can cause serious health problems for humans and animals. Therefore, people need to be aware of this problem, reduce plastic use, and manage plastic waste wisely.

    Firstly, ocean pollution caused by plastic waste can harms, contaminate the ocean and damage marine ecosystems. Plastic waste in the ocean not only ruins its visual beauty but also has a destructive impact on marine life. Sea creatures, such as fish, turtles, and seabirds, often get trapped or swallow plastic waste, leading to injuries, digestive problems, and even death. A common example is fish found with plastic waste inside their stomachs, turtles tangled in plastic waste that causes deformities or suffocation, and seabirds feeding their chicks, which causes malnutrition and death. If this continues, the balance of marine ecosystems and the food chain will be distrupted.

    Secondly, improper plastic waste management creates various environmental problems. Carelessly disposing of plastic waste can clog drainage systems, causing floods, especially in urban areas. In addition, uncontrolled burning of plastic waste produces harmful gas emissions and toxic particles that pollute the air. Toxic gases and greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) significantly contribute to global warming, which eventually leads to climate change. If it always continues, this can result in rising global temperatures, extreme weather, melting polar ice, increasing natural disasters, and reduced agricultural yields due to unpredictable weather.

    Thirdly, burning plastic waste is a major source of air pollution that directly affects for human and animal health. The burning process release various harmful pollutants such as dioxins, furans, and tiny particles that can be inhaled. Exposure to these pollutants can cause respiratory irritation, cardiovascular problems, and even an increased risk of cancer. Additionally, animals exposed to air pollution also suffer similar negative effects, threatening ecosystem balance and biodiversity. 

    Based on the statement above, plastic waste causes many negative effects and has become a real threat to the environment, ecosystems, the food chain of marine life, and the health of humans and animals. This is a serious concern, and we need wise solutions to solve this problem so that plastic waste does not create issues in the short or long term.

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