A country of one billion people will soon be using less plastics to help fight climate change.
A country of one billion people will soon be using less plastics to help fight climate change.
India’s Prime Minister vows to ban single-use plastics
On August 15, India’s Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to ban six types of single-use plastics across the country, according to CNN.
According to the article, 70 percent of the country’s plastic is single-use, and there is no processing of the waste in many Indian cities.
This plastic ban comes as a result of “trash mountains” that are reaching peak heights as well as the Taj Mahal needing a deep clean as a result of air pollution and trash burning nearby in Agra, India, according to intrepidtravel.com.
Sara Autio, who works in sustainability issues and focuses on single use plastic reduction, explains how important this change will be for India and how it may influence other countries,
“Mass scale change such as an entire state or country mandating new policies on plastic reduction is exactly what we need to move the needle. For a country of 1 billion people to cut their single use plastics I believe would be astounding in the results, including visibly decluttering oceans and landfills,” she said.
In addition to talking about plastic consumption, she also explains how burning plastics affects air quality.
“Facilities that burn plastic generally are regulated and have processes to capture emissions and prevent them from entering the air, but these unsanctioned burns emit carcinogenic gases and reduce air quality,” she said.
Though this is a large step for India, but there are also other countries that are trying to combat climate change.
According to USA today, Amsterdam is planning to ban gasoline and diesel-use cars and motorcycles. This ban would come into effect in 2030 and would affect motor vehicles that were made before 2005. Though the Netherlands are a well-developed country, the environment and climate change is still a concern for them as well.
These concerns in the environment have skyrocketed in the past few years since science has determined that humans will cause the next mass extinction, as well as Greta Thunberg’s latest speech at the UN Climate summit.
Related articles: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/07/06/738965440/a-days-work-on-delhi-s-mountain-of-trash
https://www.epa.gov/clean-air-act-overview/air-pollution-current-and-future-challenges
Coming Home With Katie 