The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.116)

Plastic, once lauded as one of the revolutionary inventions of the 20th century, is now threatening to suffocate the environment. According to a 2017 study published in academic journal Science , 8.3 billion tonnes of virgin plastics have been discarded globally between 1950 and 2017; 9 percent were recycled, 12 percent were incinerated, while the remaining 79 percent were either disposed of in landfills or released into the atmosphere. The plastic waste would swamp all 2.78 million km 2 of Argentina – 8.4 times the total area of Malaysia – in an ankle-deep mass if it were to be spread across land. The United Nations (UN) has estimated that there are 51 trillion plastic particles drifting in our oceans – 500 times the number of stars in the galaxy. Plastics, which are largely resistant to decomposition, tend to disintegrate into smaller particles upon exposure to the elements. These particles then escape into the environment, contaminating land, water and air. This modern invention has marked the dawn of a new age of convenience, but as the demand for plastics swells to insatiable proportions, future generations will have to pay the price. TZU CHI 116 07 Pulling the Plug on Plastics