The Urgent Need to Ban Single-Use Plastics Introduction Plastic waste is clogging the planet The existing amount of plas

The Urgent Need to Ban Single-Use Plastics

Introduction

Plastic waste is clogging the planet The existing amount of plastic waste collected during several years reaches more than eight million tons a year and causes the death of animals in the water, the pollution, and risks to human health (Parker, 2019). Much of this waste can be attributed to the single use of plastics that entail plastic bags, straws, and food wrappers among some others. The level of consumption of these products is very high all over the world despite the fact that there is a lot of awareness about the products. The way ahead to overcome this environmental crisis is to institute policies that will have to be made by governments and this policy will be illegalizing single-use plastics. The inclusion of a straight ban will limit the negative impacts on the environment, lead to increased use of more environmental-friendly options, and safeguard the future generations.

Environmental Damage

One of the causes of the destruction of the environment is disposable plastic, especially at the sea. Once discarded, these plastics may take many centuries to degrade into micro plastics that pollute the land, water and food chains. A randomized sample of studies indicated that over 700 species in the marine environment ingest/entangle in plastic out of 700 marine species (Thompson et al., 2021). Banning such materials would significantly reduce the supply of plastic into the oceans and hence the harm it causes to the fish life in the oceans. Banning of such products will be a mandatory first step towards restoring the ecological balance once again

Health-Strategies Issues

Single use plastics pose a risk to the health of human beings in addition to being harmful to animals. Some of the products that have traces of microplastic include drinking water, seafood as well as human blood (Smith & Love, 2020). In the production of plastic materials, the following chemicals are employed, and they include; BPA and phthalates that lead to cancerous diseases as well as imbalances in hormones. A ban by the Government on plastic would lower the amount of people exposed to hazardous chemicals. This is to demonstrate that plastic regulation is not only environment related but a health related issue.

Economic and Social Benefits

Although the opponents state that single-use plastics prohibition is detrimental to businesses, facts indicate otherwise. Green economy has led to innovation and creation of employment opportunities due to the switch to sustainable packaging. As a policy report by the International Environmental Policy Institute (2022) claims, the economies of countries that underwent a plastic ban (Kenya and Canada) showed growth in the biodegradable packaging industry. What is more is that, waste long-term management costs are reduced with single-use plastics out of the waste stream. The ban, thus, comes with economic as well as social benefits other than protecting the environment.

Counterargument

Other critics say that single-use plastics bans make life inconvenient to consumers and damage small businesses. Nevertheless, what is not considered with this point of view is the presence of cheaper and sustainable alternatives to plastic like paper, glass, and compost materials. Transitions subsidies and government education programs are provided by many governments so that it will be less difficult to switch (International Environmental Policy Institute, 2022). Ethically, the benefits to the planet and the general health long-term are worth short term hurts. With the help of logos and ethos, the rational and ethical argument of a ban on plastics are more powerful than the argument that keeps allowing them.

Conclusion

In sum, prohibiting plastic waste and similar single -use plastics is a move that is necessary, effective, and direct to counteract environmental damage, elevate human health, and induce economic creativity. Governments need to act now and enforce broad-based bans with the help of industries to switch to sustainable alternatives. The clock is ticking and the sooner the better; before it is too late. The best way is that the citizens should demand a more stringent legislature and to patronize industries which focus on environmental friendly activities. We are getting towards the future that we make today.

References

International Environmental Policy Institute. (2022). Economic impacts of plastic bans in developing nations. Shapiro Library. https://shapiro.edu/plastic-ban-economy-report

Parker, L. (2019). Plastic pollution: How humans are turning the world into plastic. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/plastic-pollution

Smith, J., & Love, K. (2020). Microplastics in the human body: A review of potential health effects. Environmental Health Perspectives, 128(5), 056001. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP6392

Thompson, R. C., Swan, S. H., & Reddy, R. (2021). Marine species and plastic debris: Trends and solutions. Science of the Total Environment, 760, 143392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143392

PART TWO: PHL 218 Module Five Short Paper

Ethical Frameworks and the Paris Agreement

The international cooperation is ethical as we strive to resolve global issues, e.g. climate change. The Paris Agreement was evolved in 2015 by 196 other countries, after their signing of the deal to check global warming and cut through greenhouse gases. It is based on what economists consider an ethical moral argument, in that it incorporates elements of various thought-sets of ethics, namely Western utilitarianism, Eastern collectivism, and Indigenous respect toward nature.

Another major ethical interest in the Paris Agreement is that of western utilitarianism that is concerned with the practices that bring the most good to the highest number of people. This observation is the backbone of the objective of the agreement to mitigate disastrous climate implications by curbing emissions. Focusing on the common good of the world and its citizens, the agreement takes into account the utilitarian approach to envisioning the future implications of Eco-harm. Signatory countries realize that lack of action on climate change will lead to a widespread of damage, particularly among the vulnerable groups.

The agreement is also indicative of the Eastern morals especially Confucian and Buddhist values that emphasize on harmony, duty and interconnectedness of life. The fact that the treaty is built to focus on relationships based on cooperation, as opposed to compulsion, fits well with such values. As an example, it enables countries to determine their own targets in terms of emission with regard to the issue of sovereignty, and at the same time, the need to act collectively.

Moreover, the Indigenous moral thinking found its reflection in the preamble to the treaty where the rights of the Indigenous people and their intellectual traditions are not to be overlooked. Indigenous ethics also tend to emphasize religiously sacred connection with nature, stewardship and sustainable long-term. These values lines up with the sustainability aspect of development and also integrity of ecosystems of the treaty.

Lastly, the Paris Agreement is the result of the ethical pluralism, which is the adaptation of the different frameworks to reach a common cause. All the moral aspects of Western, Eastern, and Indigenous ethics had some part in creation of this treaty and played a role in convincing nations to sign the treaty from the moral obligation and also the need to act. (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). (2015).

Reference

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). (2015). The Paris Agreement. https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/english_paris_agreement.pdf