Blog post 1: An example of thinking geographically about environmental impacts- Tayah Keyser

 

Sarah J. Morath / Fix

    The local effect that plastic bags have is particularly fascinating and something like that. Plastic is killing marine life. An oceanographer observed the same body of water for thirty years, and over a hundred of the sea turtles that he would perform autopsies on had plastic in their intestines which he concluded to be the reason for their death. In India, garbage is being dumped without being buried into the ground and the scared animals such as cows and other large animals are eating plastic and dying or getting lifesaving surgeries and pulling pounds of plastic out of their body. I did not know this fact before watching the film. I was convinced that marine life was the only life affected, and it turns out many other animals are being affected by plastic bags in areas of the world. 

    I found a solution in the video to be particularly promising. This was the idea of having a cloth bag instead of a plastic bag. In the British community, they started a style line of cloth bags instead of plastic bags and on the bag, it said “I am not a plastic bag”(Hunka, 2008). They were attempting to stop the use of plastic bags and to help save the environment by having the option to reuse a bag rather than having a plastic bag every time they go shopping.  

    When addressing plastic bag waste, we must consider a multi-faceted approach that operates at various geographical scales. At the local level, community-wide initiatives can be implemented to reduce single-use plastic bag consumption through awareness campaigns and incentivized reusable bag programs. Nationally, policies can be established to regulate and enforce the responsible disposal of plastic bags, encouraging the use of biodegradable alternatives. On a global scale, international cooperation is essential to address the widespread impact of plastic bag waste, fostering collaborative efforts to develop sustainable solutions and promote environmental stewardship. By addressing plastic bag waste at these different geographical scales, we can work towards a comprehensive and effective strategy to mitigate its detrimental effects.  

    A solution I believe to be the most effective would be very similar to what the video showed. I think that cloth bags should be used, and they should be provided free by governments and if you forget your bag when shopping you could pay a certain cheap amount to receive either a paper bag or a bio-degradable plastic bag that would not be as harsh on the environment.  

    The video was enough proof that this is not just happening at the local or national level, instead, it is taking place on a global level. Plastic bags and the consequences of using them are affecting all areas of the world and different aspects of the world such as land and bodies of water.

For more information: IUCN- Plastic Pollution

Sources:

Hunka, R. (2008). Battle of the bag. Films for the Humanities & Sciences.

IUCN. (2024). Plastic pollution. Www.iucn.org. https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/plastic-pollution#:~:text=May%202024-

Morath, S. J. (2020). We need a global leader on plastics. Could it be Biden? Fix. https://grist.org/fix/opinion/global-leader-plastics-biden/

IUC