This article was originally published onĀ , which features includes relevant and informed articles, written by researchers and academics in their areas of expertise and edited by experienced journalists.
is an assistant professor in Resource and Environmental Studies at pilipiliĀž».
Twenty five years ago, I spent a summer removing plastic packing bands and plastic nets from 135 entangled Antarctic fur seals on Bird Island, South Georgia in the sub-Antarctic. were the primary source of entanglements.
A quarter of a century later, plastic is still a huge problem. In the past month alone, we have seen .
This ought to be a strong enough signal to trigger collective action to clean up and improve governance of the plastics that have become this centuryās .
Governments and individuals all need to reconsider how we use and dispose of our single-use plastics (SUPs). Within just two generations we have so much plastic that we are now literally .
Individual action
We all use SUPs, not just those countries with the largest populations, and so we are all are culpable in contributing to .
Until recently, (including plastics) from developed countries, such as Canada, the and European countries. But these imports have since been banned.
This has left many developed countries scrambling to figure out how to recycle or dispose of their SUPs, with many jurisdictions (from municipalities to entire countries) considering .
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Recently, Prince Edward Island took the big step to announce new legislation to make it . Seattle is the first major U.S. city to .
Government support
, and we recently heard more about these details in the , which was agreed to by five of the seven participating nations and the European Union (EU). However, neither the United States nor Japan signed the voluntary agreement.
National and international organizations have also made recent announcements about how to reduce and improve recycling, but all have committed to widely varying time lines to achieve these goals.
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For example, the United Nations Environment Programme (with support from 42 governments), declared a fight against plastics, announcing their global in 2017 to eliminate major sources of marine debris by 2022.
The following year, the European Commission (EC) adopted the first , aiming for all plastic packaging in the EU to be reusable or recyclable ā but not until 2030.
Lagging behind the international community, the ā almost a generation away!
Meanwhile, .
Corporations lead the way
With governments setting unambitious targets, it seems that large corporations are now showing leadership by listening to consumers who are demanding less SUPs in their packing and food containers.
Recently, . This strategy may soon be rolled out in other jurisdictions. from its home furnishing range by 2020, including plastic straws, plates, cups, freezer bags, garbage bags and plastic-coated paper plates and cups.
Why has it taken so long to tackle this wicked problem?
Sure, the plastics industry has something to lose, and maybe governments also lack the will and technology to make the transition sooner?
But time is running out.
Iām just glad that the Romans invented viaducts and straight roads instead of SUPs, as we likely wouldnāt be here today if they had. Giving up a might not be so bad after all.
If I have to choose between āā, I know which Iāll pick. What about you?
Read the on The Conversation.
pilipiliĀž» is a founding partner of The Conversation Canada, a new-to-Canada online media outlet providing independent, high-quality explanatory journalism. Originally established in Australia in 2011, it has had more than 85 commissioning editors and 30,000-plus academics register as contributors. A full list of articles written by Dalhousie academics can be found onĀ .