The strongest bond in the world is the bond between a mother and a child. We are interconnected with our mother even before we inhale our first breath. But there’s that person who always taking care of all of us secretly. That’s mother nature. Actually, nature gives life to all living beings. Like the mother-child bond, the bond between us and nature is also powerful in a very similar way.
Then it’s more clear that fact we have to protect nature like nature protects us.
But recently I feel like we are lacking our responsibilities with time. I heard the sorrow and pain of mother nature. And we the human beings are totally responsible for this. Due to our crimes, all the other living beings suffer along with mother nature. So let me tell you what is this terrible issue. It is the synthesis of plastic from minus scale to major scale and lacking proper disposal of it. People synthesis plastic from bottles and bags to lighter obvious materials. Like clothes and sachet packets. People have created cheap, strong, light & versatile plastic in the past 100 years. Then they end up in the ground, air & the sea. It has spread into the highest mountains and deepest oceans. But it’s a mystery that how long will it take to disappear.
When we release the plastic they stick in the environment for ages while harming wildlife and making the whole environment toxic. Mostly, plastics are made of gas, oil & coal-like chemicals that come from planet-warming fuels. So burning plastics will release toxic climate-wrecking gases. Then the major problem that arises is how these plastics enter the food chain. From researches carried on scientists have found mini plastic in salt, beer, seafood & human feces. They are broken from bigger plastic items like car tires and cosmetics. And even they have come from synthetic clothes. Due to the accumulation of this plastic in the rivers, soils & oceans, they can get into the food chains.
According to a report by Eunomia in 2016, over 12M tons of plastic get accumulated in the marine environment. So the sea creatures mistake it for food or they get entangled in plastic. And harmful chemicals have been found in these species linked to plastic. I think now it’s very clear about the adverse effects of plastic. It’s our duty to stop in step against this and we need our government to get involved in making rules and regulations for this. Let’s get together and make a better world for the future.
Onasha Nirmani Dissanayake
Faculty of Applied Science,
Rajarata University of Sri Lanka.