Every 5 June, World Environment Day is celebrated, established in 1972 by the United Nations General Assembly, with the aim of raising awareness and driving changes in people’s habits and way of life, encouraging responsibility for the future of our planet and of future generations. It began to be celebrated in 1974, and each year it is organised around a theme. This year’s theme is “Beat Plastic Pollution”, which focuses attention on one of the most serious threats to the marine environment. Every year, 8 million tonnes of plastic are dumped into the oceans in various forms, deteriorating the aquatic environment and generating known and unknown impacts on the organisms that live there. Through their transformation or because of their size, these plastics enter the food chain, eventually ending up on our plates. Plastic is considered a material that decomposes very slowly over the long term -between 100 and 1000 years-. As time passes, it breaks down into increasingly smaller fragments, which has serious consequences, and because it is a cheap, versatile and practical material, it is widely used. Nowadays, plastics have been found in almost every aquatic habitat on the planet, from the open ocean, rivers, seas and surface waters, to the water column and even sediments, both on beaches and in the deep sea. The consequences of macroplastics are associated with dead, weakened or stranded animals due to entrapment, suffocation or ingestion of these non-biodegradable materials. They can also act as carriers, transporting organisms to ecosystems they have never inhabited, or providing new habitats for species that would otherwise be unable to develop there.
The presence of microplastics can affect living organisms in different ways depending on their size. Microplastics between 1 and 5mm are more likely to affect the feeding and digestion of certain organisms, while those of micron size can be actively ingested by small invertebrates, but can also be excreted. An important case is that of nanoplastics, which in some cases can even permeate the cell membranes of organisms, altering their structure, activity and, consequently, their function. France is the first country to legally ban the use of plastic cups and cutlery, and, as part of its “Green Growth” plan, aims to halve waste disposal by 2025 and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030. But do we have to wait until our countries’ laws change before we become aware and make changes? Using cotton bags, buying in bulk, or drinking water from refillable glass or stainless steel bottles instead of continuing to buy plastic bottles is one way to do it. There are obviously many other simple ways that make a big difference. So let’s wait no longer! You will be the one to make the change.
Sources: http: //https://www.ecologistasenaccion.org/?p=33543 Photo: Francis Pérez
