As we prepare
to welcome 2019 with a wish that it will offer good health and happiness to our
family and friends, some people may also wish to pursue self-improvement objectives
or set their sights on those noble goals of reducing what has been commonly referred
to as our less-than positive impact on the planet.
Three years
ago, a growing concern with climate change prompted representatives of many countries
to gather in Paris to develop a plan that would lead to a reduction of greenhouse
gases by lowering carbon emissions. By early 2017, 125 countries had signed
onto the Paris Agreement. While some world leaders have attached considerable
importance to reducing the environmental consequences of climate change, we
need the same level of commitment by all countries in the world that will lead
to the end of single-use plastics.
A recent CBS television
program “60 Minutes” on the issue of plastics in our oceans offered a powerful
and disturbing image regarding the amount of plastic pollution in our waters
and its devastating effects. It has been reported that each year about 26
million tons of plastic end up in the ocean with the vast majority sinking to
the seabed creating conditions that are detrimental to various forms of life. Plastic
bottles take 450 years or more to decompose and plastic bags will take from
10-1000 years before they disappear. It has been reported that humans buy one million
plastic bottles every minute. These are alarming statistics. Everyone of us can
make our contribution to reversing that with just a little effort.
If we focus on reducing
and eventually eliminating our dependency on those various types of single-use
plastics we will create a better life for future generations. Isn’t that a New
Year’s objective that we can all embark on?
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