Harmful Effects of Plastic
It shouldn’t take a genius to know why plastic is bad. The plastic problem is currently so bad, that it is presumed that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. During the GIS 10th Anniversary parade, a lot was explained on why we should get rid of the ways we use plastic and dispose single use plastic.
Maldives’ economy is based on tourism and fishing. Unfortunately, Plastic can destroy our beautiful coral reefs, beaches and our fish. This would weaken our economy and it could make it unstable.
Plastic kills and destroys sea and land wildlife for example: Turtles, Dolphins and Sharks. The other day, I saw this disappointing video of a turtle who had a straw stuck in its nose. It luckily survived but had shed some blood. This was very painful for the turtle, it had cried while surgery was done to remove the straw from its nose. After the surgery, it was released back to its home, the ocean.
Plastic is also used for water bottles. Plastic has this harmful chemical knows as BPA, which has many harmful effects and it can affect our health. Maldivians love fish, it is a huge part of our culture. But if we are eating fish, that means we are indirectly feeding plastic into our body. Because we dump plastic into the oceans, and fishes unknowingly, they eat the plastic.
Nonetheless, we can change almost everything. We can use metal for water bottles. We can recycle plastic. We can use the plastic again and again if we recycle. And we should fully stop using single-use plastic. Or just, simply help recycle it.
