Plastics in our oceans: is this the last straw?
There are more than five trillion pieces of plastic in our oceans today - that's more than all the trees on Earth put together.
Michael Gove has suggested that plastic straws could be banned in Britain. Plastic straws aren’t reusable, and can’t be washed, as they’ll melt and leak toxic materials, including methane. Most plastic straws end up in the sea and kill marine animals. Worryingly, they are in the top ten category for objects found in or near the ocean.
“If it is bad, then banning it is a good thing,” commented Michael Gove, the environment secretary. Theresa May, the prime minister, has also said that she wants to eliminate all avoidable plastic within 25 years.
Scientists estimate that by 2050, more than 13 billion tonnes of plastic will be in landfill or the environment. Many restaurants, including Pizza Express, are now only giving out plastic straws on demand. Many people have thought of alternatives to plastic, like bamboo or paper. Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to just stop supplying any kind of straws.
The environment is an ever-changing issue - scientists are continually discovering new ways we are impacting it, and new ways we can reduce these impacts. Some people don’t believe in climate change at all, including President of the United States Donald Trump, who has been criticised for this. 2016 was the hottest year on record, and many people support the theory that this is due to global warming. The carbon dioxide, produced primarily from manufacturing and transport, in the Earth’s atmosphere re-radiates heat back to earth, and so increases global temperatures.
Given the international nature of these crucial current problems, is there anything that our school can do to help on a local level?
Bins are all over the school to prevent littering and protect our environment; some are for rubbish while others are for recycling. It’s important that you always put the right waste in the right bin. This is an issue sometimes, with some students not realising which bins are meant for recycling. These ones mostly have the recycling symbol on or are even green to allow people to easily determine which is the appropriate bin for their waste.
When asked about the issue, Miss Lynch commented, “It’s little things that make a big difference,”. Many students think the same: “We need to raise awareness,” one explained. What do you think you could do to benefit the school, the environment and ultimately, the world? How can you help? If everyone contributed, we could make a huge difference.
Emma Dear, Year 7, Eco Rep
Michael Gove has suggested that plastic straws could be banned in Britain. Plastic straws aren’t reusable, and can’t be washed, as they’ll melt and leak toxic materials, including methane. Most plastic straws end up in the sea and kill marine animals. Worryingly, they are in the top ten category for objects found in or near the ocean.
“If it is bad, then banning it is a good thing,” commented Michael Gove, the environment secretary. Theresa May, the prime minister, has also said that she wants to eliminate all avoidable plastic within 25 years.
Scientists estimate that by 2050, more than 13 billion tonnes of plastic will be in landfill or the environment. Many restaurants, including Pizza Express, are now only giving out plastic straws on demand. Many people have thought of alternatives to plastic, like bamboo or paper. Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to just stop supplying any kind of straws.
The environment is an ever-changing issue - scientists are continually discovering new ways we are impacting it, and new ways we can reduce these impacts. Some people don’t believe in climate change at all, including President of the United States Donald Trump, who has been criticised for this. 2016 was the hottest year on record, and many people support the theory that this is due to global warming. The carbon dioxide, produced primarily from manufacturing and transport, in the Earth’s atmosphere re-radiates heat back to earth, and so increases global temperatures.
Given the international nature of these crucial current problems, is there anything that our school can do to help on a local level?
Bins are all over the school to prevent littering and protect our environment; some are for rubbish while others are for recycling. It’s important that you always put the right waste in the right bin. This is an issue sometimes, with some students not realising which bins are meant for recycling. These ones mostly have the recycling symbol on or are even green to allow people to easily determine which is the appropriate bin for their waste.
When asked about the issue, Miss Lynch commented, “It’s little things that make a big difference,”. Many students think the same: “We need to raise awareness,” one explained. What do you think you could do to benefit the school, the environment and ultimately, the world? How can you help? If everyone contributed, we could make a huge difference.
Emma Dear, Year 7, Eco Rep