I Thought Plastic Pollution Wasn't My Problem ... | Archie Wallyn | TEDxYouth@DPL
Summary
TLDRThe script highlights the detrimental impact of seemingly insignificant plastic items, like stickers on apples, on the environment. It illustrates how these items can end up in the ocean, harming marine life and entering the food chain. The narrator emphasizes the scale of the issue, with millions of tons of plastic waste, including the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The script concludes with practical steps for individuals to help mitigate the problem: recycling, avoiding microplastics, refusing plastic bags and straws, and reusing containers.
Takeaways
- 🚯 Plastic waste, even seemingly insignificant items like stickers, can cause significant environmental harm.
- 🌊 Once discarded, small plastics like stickers can end up in oceans, affecting marine life and ecosystems.
- 🐢 Sea creatures often mistake plastic for food, which can lead to their death due to ingestion.
- 🔄 The presence of plastic in the ocean affects the food chain, as humans consume seafood that has ingested plastic.
- 🏖️ Plastic waste contributes to the formation of 'plastic beaches' and massive garbage patches in the oceans.
- 📏 The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is enormous, covering an area twice the size of Texas and containing millions of tons of plastic.
- ♻️ Recycling is a crucial step in reducing the amount of plastic waste that ends up in oceans.
- 🚫 Banning microplastics, which are found in products like toothpaste and body scrubs, can help decrease plastic pollution.
- 🛍️ Avoiding single-use plastic items like plastic bags can have a significant impact on reducing plastic waste.
- 🥤 Refusing plastic straws is a simple personal choice that contributes to the reduction of plastic pollution.
- ♾️ Reusing cups, containers, and plastic bottles can help cut down on the demand for new plastic products.
- 🌍 Collective small steps by individuals can lead to a significant positive change in addressing plastic pollution and creating a better world.
Q & A
What is the main environmental impact discussed in the script?
-The script discusses the environmental impact of plastic waste, particularly how small items like stickers on apples can contribute to ocean pollution and harm marine life.
How does the script describe the journey of a plastic sticker from a street to the ocean?
-The script describes the journey of a plastic sticker, named Jerry, from being thrown on the street, blown by the wind into a drain, carried by the river to the sea, and eventually joining the mass of plastic waste in the ocean.
What is the problem with sea creatures mistaking plastic for food?
-Sea creatures often mistake plastic for food, such as jellyfish, and consume it, which can lead to their deaths. This also affects the food chain as humans consume seafood that has ingested plastic.
What is the significance of the statistic 'every eight out of ten seabirds have plastic in their stomachs'?
-This statistic highlights the widespread presence of plastic in the ocean and the severe impact it has on seabirds, indicating that plastic pollution is a significant and pervasive environmental issue.
What are 'plastic beaches' and how are they formed?
-Plastic beaches are areas where plastic waste has accumulated due to human activities, such as dumping plastic into the ocean. They are formed as a result of the eight million tons of plastic waste that enter the oceans annually.
What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and how big is it?
-The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a massive collection of plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean. It consists of around 2.4 million tons of plastic and covers about 1.6 million square kilometers, making it approximately twice the size of Texas.
What steps does the script suggest to help mitigate the plastic pollution problem?
-The script suggests several steps: recycling to reduce the amount of plastic waste, banning microplastics found in products like toothpaste and body scrubs, refusing plastic bags, avoiding plastic straws, and reusing cups, containers, and plastic bottles.
Why is recycling important in the context of the script's discussion on plastic pollution?
-Recycling is important because it helps to reduce the millions of tons of plastic that end up in oceans, thereby decreasing the environmental impact and protecting marine life.
What are microplastics and why should they be avoided according to the script?
-Microplastics are tiny plastic particles found in products like toothpaste, body scrubs, and face wash. They should be avoided because they contribute to plastic pollution and can be harmful to marine life and the environment.
How does the script use the example of an apple sticker to illustrate the potential harm of seemingly insignificant plastic items?
-The script uses the example of an apple sticker to show that even small pieces of plastic can end up in the ocean, where they can be mistaken for food by marine animals, contributing to a larger problem of plastic pollution.
What is the script's perspective on the future of plastic in the ocean compared to fish by 2050?
-The script warns that if current trends continue, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish, indicating a dire future for marine ecosystems if action is not taken to reduce plastic pollution.
Outlines
🌏 Environmental Impact of Small Plastics
This paragraph discusses the surprising environmental harm caused by seemingly insignificant items like plastic stickers on apples. It explains how these stickers, often discarded carelessly, can end up in the ocean, where they are mistaken for food by marine life, leading to ingestion and death. The paragraph highlights the broader issue of plastic pollution, noting the millions of tons of plastic waste in the oceans, the impact on the food chain, and the presence of plastic in seabirds and fish. It also mentions the existence of 'plastic beaches' and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, emphasizing the scale of the problem.
🚯 Solutions to Plastic Pollution
The speaker acknowledges the severity of plastic pollution but does not present a revolutionary solution. Instead, they offer practical steps individuals can take to mitigate the issue. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of recycling to reduce the amount of plastic waste, suggests banning microplastics found in common products, advocates for the refusal of plastic bags, and discourages the use of single-use plastic straws. The speaker also encourages the reuse of cups and containers to decrease reliance on disposable plastic items. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for collective effort in making small changes to create a better future.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Plastic Pollution
💡Environmental Damage
💡Microplastics
💡Recycling
💡Plastic Bags
💡Food Chain
💡Great Pacific Garbage Patch
💡Single-Use Plastics
💡Sustainability
💡Plastic Beaches
💡Sea Creatures
Highlights
Plastic, even in small quantities, can cause significant environmental damage.
Small items like stickers on apples can become harmful when discarded improperly.
Stickers, once discarded, can end up in the ocean, contributing to marine pollution.
Sea creatures often mistake plastic for food, leading to their deaths.
Millions of pieces of plastic are present in the ocean, affecting seabirds and fish.
Plastic ingestion by marine life affects the human food chain.
Plastic waste leads to the formation of 'plastic beaches' due to improper disposal.
By 2050, it is projected that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a massive area of plastic accumulation in the ocean.
The size of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is twice as large as Texas.
The journey of a discarded sticker, named Jerry, illustrates the path of plastic pollution.
Recycle to reduce the amount of plastic waste in the oceans.
Ban microplastics found in everyday products to prevent environmental harm.
Avoid single-use plastic bags, as seen in the bans in France and Rwanda.
Refuse plastic straws to reduce unnecessary plastic consumption.
Reuse cups, containers, and plastic bottles to minimize waste.
Individual actions, such as recycling and refusing single-use plastics, can help save the environment.
The collective effort of everyone is necessary to create a better, sustainable world.
Transcripts
I thought that when I threw a plastic
muscle way it was fine and that
something so small can cause so much
damage and harm to the environment
however plastic turns out to be
incredibly bad for the environment even
things that seem so small and
insignificant like stickers on apples
you know the ones after fair trade logo
on that show us that farms got a better
deal or more money
well this sticker attempting to do good
often gets ripped off as they're not
particularly tasty it gets rolled up
into a neat ball and flicked on the
street then this stick on the street
gets blown by the wind into the drain
and the drain leads to the river and the
river leaves of the sea this journey now
becomes terrifyingly interesting as this
sticker joins all of the other washed
out to sea plastics now this sticker
let's call him Jerry he has a number of
places he can now go first is in the
stomach of sea creatures like let's say
a cute sea turtle sea creatures often
mistake plastic as food such as a yummy
jellyfish and eat them which never speak
kills them there are so many bits of
pieces of plastic in the ocean millions
in fact now every eight out of ten
seabirds have plastic in their stomachs
fish as well this affects our food chain
because we eat the plastic and that way
that they ate from earlier YUM
next a little sticker can go to the ever
so famous plastic beaches this is a
result of us dumping the eight million
tons of plastic every year and by 2050
there will be more plastic in the ocean
than fish Oh
Jerry can float past these plastic
beaches to one of the five massive
jurors sadly Jerry gets pulled along to
the Great Pacific Garbage Patch the
biggest of them all
now the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
consists of around 2.4 million tons and
covers about 1.6 million square
kilometers which is 2 times bigger than
Texas so this Apple sticker Jerry if I
threw him away
it would be if I threw him on the street
it'll be like this
now if the
is a front-row view so your stickers
away it will be like this and if all of
you so your stick is on the ground it
will be like this so sadly I am NOT here
to present a revolutionary item that can
help save this massive problem that
keeps on getting worse but I am here to
tell you a few small steps that can help
save our future firstly recycle this
will avoid us adding to the millions of
tons of plastic that's floating around
on our oceans
now there's equivalent to 700 pieces of
plastic per person so recycle secondly
we can ban micro plastics the micro
plastics are normally found in products
such as toothpaste body scrubs and face
wash you can personally avoid buying
these items thirdly you don't buy
plastic bags France is banning them and
Rwanda has completely banned them why
can't we full say no straw do you really
have to sip your drink through a plastic
straw and finally reuse cups containers
and plastic bottles it takes all of us
to do these small steps to help save our
future to create a better world a world
thank you
[Applause]
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