Plastic Alert!

Dear reader,

We can't deny that the world is in danger. One of the huge problems is plastic. Though ingrained in our world, it's a major threat to the environment. From contaminating the water to killing animals who mistake it for food, we can't let things stay the way they are. So, I'm going to tell you about the plastic problem and ways to solve it.

Let's start at the beginning. Plastic is made from crude oil, natural gas, and coal. These are all fossil fuels. When we produce plastic from these materials, it releases carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. The amount of oil we use to produce plastic is amazing, about 8 to 10 percent of our oil. To put it another way, about 12 million barrels of oil. and the amount of plastic bags the average American is worth enough fuel to power a million cars. Though it may not seem like it in this oil and plastic driven world, this is a precious resource. We need to reuse plastic instead of throwing it out. And when it's reached the end of its useful life, we need to recycle the plastics we have, and we deserve to know that it will actually be recycled (I'm looking at you, government!). That way, we don't need to extract more fossil fuels to be used on plastic.

So now you know the beginning of plastic's story. But now we need to look at the other end. What becomes of plastic once it's disposed of? It doesn't biodegrade, so where does it sit for years and years? A lot of it ends up in landfills. When plastic sits in landfills, it's harmful chemicals end up in the ground and contaminate the water source, which is kind of ironic since so much of that plastic is plastic water bottles. Those harmful chemicals also get into the soil where we grow our food. Most of the rest winds up in the ocean, where it harms sea creatures when they mistake it for food and eat it or get tangled in it. Plastic kills countless innocent creatures. And plastic is everywhere. While it doesn't biodegrade, it breaks down into tiny microplastics. Where do these microplastics end up? The air we breathe. The food we eat. The water we drink. It causes cancers and neurological issues. Plastic is dangerous. We need to reuse and recycle plastic so that it never reaches these harmful places. Again, we need the people in power to prioritize the plastic problem.

This is scary. Our planet is in crisis in so many ways. But we can't lose hope. It's our job to fix this problem that generations before us failed to. It's our job to do our small part at home, because if enough of us do, we can make a difference. It's the job of the people in power to make sure these things don't get out of hand. And the last one is very important, the only way anything ever happens to make change: spread the word!

Thank you,

Nahara, Adah, Aliyah, and Shiloh (But mostly me, Nahara, for this one).

Credits: How Is Plastic Made?, Plastic Bags and Petroleum,. Also, thanks to my teacher for having us do a research project on plastic and inspiring me to write this.