The plastic crisis is much bigger than we imagine, and it is hitting our planet at every level. From microparticles that end up deposited on the ocean floor to the invasion of objects that arrive and disappear with the tide, through wild animals on the brink of death and impoverished workers in vulnerable conditions, it becomes increasingly difficult to believe that the virtues of plastic can compensate for the effects of its permanence in the environment for hundreds of years. National Geographic's new campaign, Planet or Plastic, helps us visualize this like never before...
We all understand that plastic will not disappear overnight. Flexibility, resistance, safety, and relatively low cost make it the ideal choice for dozens of applications, but the real problem lies in the addiction we have developed to this material. Objects that are used only once and end up discarded, the natural difficulties in its processing (which lead to incredibly low recycling rates), our lack of responsibility, and a degradation process that extends for 400 years on average have turned plastic into one of the most effective invaders in the world. The cover of the June edition of National Geographic is forceful: More than eight million tons of plastic end up in the sea every year... that is the tip of the iceberg. We live on a plastic planet, and there is no short-term solution.
The Plastic Crisis in Pictures
