2018 World Environment Day Essay Competition – First Position

Genesis of a neo Earth

by: Tenzin Younten Zenang

 When Mr. Leo Baekland invented ‘bakelite’ in 1907, he would have never imagined that a young eight year old Tibetan refugee who never saw an ocean would swim in a pool of emptied plastic bottles in Mc’leodGanj. A town remotely located in North India, hubbub of politic and home for many Tibetan refugees. Back then it was quiet with countable vehicles in a town where the only entertainment was playing outside. Nothing was prevalent like today except for those plastic bottles.

 

Ofcourse plastic isn’t just for a package for drinking water,it is pervasive in just about everything, prevailing over traditional materials. Modern industries rely on plastic because it is cheaper, lighter, and durable. Yes, durable simply because it is composed of large molecules, this is where the real problem lies since it takes very long time to decompose after being discarded.

 

Reflecting back to the pool of plastic, back then I reckon not many we re aware of a plastic crisis. Probably because plastic was a strong force behind the profit and countries’ growing GDP. Back then countries’ primary concerns were the efficient, least-cost allocation of scarce productive resources and the optimal growth of these resources over time to produce an ever expanding range of goods and services[1].

 

According to a report prepared by FICCI and Tata Strategic management Group (TSMG) on the plastic industry titled ‘Plastic Packaging – The sustainable Choice’, packaging is one of the fastest growing industries and stands at 700 billion USD globally. Plastics comprise 42% of packaging with a combination of rigid and flexible plastics in packaging. The Environmental Protection Agencypoints out that, on average, people only recycle one plastic bag in every 200 they use. Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute – billions end up as litter each year.

Those are big numbers and honestly quite nauseating. Anyways, remember that refugee I mentioned who never saw an ocean in the beginning? What interested me to say thisis because I am overwhelmed by David K.A. Barnes’s statement (a marine scientist), that plastic bags have gone “from being rare in the late 80s and early 90s to being almost everywhere.” That’s to me, mind-boggling.Also, I have actually never seen an ocean.However I know how enormous the ocean is, covering ¾of our earth and people are capable of polluting to such extent. My personal experience has been oblivious, and limited from swimming in empty plastic bottle to voluntarily participating in a local clean up group (waste worriers) in collecting garbage on the hill and the occasionalprod by broken glass (thrown by a drunk) while swimming in the river. Oh, how can I ever forget cows/bulls chewing on plastic bags so deliciously but I can’t unsee a video where a veterinarian put his hand inside a living cow’s gut and pulled back a bunch of bags, undigested obviously. (I am glad we can’t smell in videos.)

 

If it wasn’t the monetary issue, there is an option of bio-plastic, genetically engineered bacteria to synthesize completely biodegradable plastic such as ‘Biopol’. However, this is expensive. Therefore, the earliest approach to the plastic problem was met with a wide effort toward recycling. I have seen people reusing bags, however reusing plastic bottlescan be harmful but still people continue, I guess we trust authority bit too much and hopefully those reused plastic bottles aren’t polyvinyl chloride (P.V.C.) plastic containers in which chemicals get dissolved gradually causing death due to cancer and other skin diseases.Eww! Scary.

Well, studies and awareness campaigns effectively pursued have led many countries to ban plastic bags. In India, 20 states completelyban plastic bags and 5 states partially ban. Likewise, there are many organizations, individuals and foundations aiming to fight plastic. Recently, I saw this simple yet ingenious invention ‘Seabin’[2]– created by two Australian surfers, that literally sucks pollution out from the water’s surface. Mr. Adrian Griffiths from the British company recycling Technologies is using a machine the size of a tennis court in a trash processing center west of London to break down a variety of plastic products, including cling wrap and electronics, and turn them into usable materials or energy producing oil. If I could narrow our perspective a little, I read about the Indian lawyer Afroz Shah who decided to start cleaning the beach rather than resorting to complaining about it. He later receives community support and after 48 weeks the beach has transformed into something anyone has ever seen, clean Versova beach.

 

I will not go into great detail on how Tibet is polluted by the Chinese government, etc.… however I want to assert that many Tibetan individuals have dedicated their life to environmental conservation. Best example I can give you is Tulku Tenzin Delek who was recently persecuted and later allegedly killed by the Chinese.I believe Tibetans have a sense of keeping a clean environment, probably because His Holiness the Dalai Lama repeatedly educates on the importance of the environment. Maybe, the exile Tibetan community is small enough to spread awareness quicker. I know of a lady who collects garbage around Lingkor[3]and everyone appreciates her initiative.

 

The planet earth is 4.5 billion years old and she has gone through Ice age, volcano eruptions and comets that wiped out the dinosaurs but earth still remains. It has been only 200,000 years since human came into existence. We do not stand as a threat to earth, the earth can handle anything humanity throws at it and heal only on the millennial time scale, and the earth will be where it was meant to be. The real threat is to us. There is no distinction between our environment and us. Like astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson puts it, “We are part of this universe; we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts, is that the universe is in us.”[4]

 

Thus, every effort we put into taking care of earth is an effort to save ourselves. Humanity’s major problem is with the excess of plastic, compared to paper, plastic never fully breaks down.To my understanding and with limited knowledge, I wanted to share some ideas on how to tackle the plastic problem, though its all repetition.

 

Most important step to conserve the environment is the 3Rs; reduce; recycle and reuse. I love it when celebrities promote something meaningful such as minimalism. To me that is proper use of their charisma, trendy and valuable. Thick NhatHanh[5] said, Conscious consumption is not only good for the earth, it’s good for you. “Mindfulness”, says

• Education is key. I am truly impressed by Tibetans teachers in schools I distinctly remember their advice on littering and using bins. I said impress because when I got out of schools, I have seen grown ups littering everywhere and spitting blatantly.
• Proper use of social networks. Instead of following your exes, read something useful and share it to the world.
• Best solution I believe is awareness. When a person realize that cause of their problem is consequence of their own act then they will be cautious. I don’t mean putting fear in person’s mind but with awareness make them responsible.Authority must facilitate trainings and workshops and give a clear guidelines on use, recycling and disposal of plastic and clear guidelines to implement actions, including targets and deadlines
• Understanding sustainability is crucial. I remember when I was in second year college they started a new subject called ‘sustainable development’; the subject touches arrays of topics but vastly on environment and it specifically stress on generations to come, resources that we enjoy is finite limits.
• More budgets to do research in tackling plastic waste. Each country must work on it instead of offensive weapons.
• Volunteer some more and donate a little to a good cause.

I am not a biochemist or a scientist to come up with innovative solution but what I can do is bear responsibility to my action. I believe anyone can be like Mr. Afroz Shah who is well known for his effort to clean Versova beach. Invention may or may not entirely solve the world’s plastic pollution… real change can only happen when humans drastically change their consumption and plastic production habits.

 

Though I mentioned that the earth can heal herself in millennial but it is evident that lives on earth suffers from growing pollution, toxic smog and global warming. We must take responsibility.

 

It may sound cliché but truly each of us can make a difference with a small change in lifestyle.

 

[1]Todaro, P Michael & Smith (2012) “Economic Development” II edition, Boston.

[2]Seabinproject.com

 

[3]Also called Kora (Area surrounding palace of His Holiness the Dalai Lama where people circumambulate.)

 

[4]https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/neil-degrasse-tyson-on-the-most-astounding-fact-in-the-universe-video/2012/03/05/gIQAZwv6sR_blog.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.0be2a80c5405

 

[5]https://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/thich-nhat-hanh-how-to-eat_n_7115222)