Earth Day: A Wake-Up Call and a Reminder to Take Action for Protecting the Environment

Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22nd with the aim of raising awareness about various issues and challenges the planet Earth faces and discussing possible interventions for lessening the impact. Thanks to “Silent Spring,” written by Rachel Carson, a New York Times bestseller in 1962, and the inspiration received from the students’ anti-war protests in the US, which played a crucial role in raising public awareness about the environment, living organisms, pollution, and human health. Followed by relevant developments, the movement ultimately culminated in the celebration of Earth Day back in 1970. Since then, it has been celebrated across the world every year, and the theme for this year is “Planet vs Plastics.” The target set is to reduce 60% of the production of all plastics by 2040, which is challenging, but commitment and innovations can make it possible, as we have seen spectacular changes in other fields of science and technology.
Who could have imagined the revolution that information technology brought to our lives and made the whole world a global village? Likewise, we can see changes in handling plastic pollution in the near future. This article aims to create awareness about the issue of plastic pollution and inspire us to play our part in reducing the damage it is causing to our environment.
Plastic pollution, as we know, is one of the major threats to the Earth, environment, ecology, and health. Being low-cost and durable, manufacturers prefer plastic over other materials. However, the composition of plastic makes it resistant to degradation, and as a result, it accumulates in the environment over the years and pollutes the ecosystem and food chain. Global plastic production has reached an estimated 460 million metric tonnes in recent years, and between 75 to 199 million metric tonnes of plastic are currently in our oceans. Around five trillion polybags are used every year across the world, and around one million plastic bottles are purchased every minute around the globe. Half of the plastic produced is designed for single use and throw.
Based on the trends, the global production of primary plastic is estimated to be around 1100 million tonnes by 2050. Mishandling such a huge quantity of plastic will surely have very serious environmental, social, economic, and health consequences. Being man-made polymers, their degradation is difficult, and as a result, plastic products fragment and remain in our environment for decades together. Even burning cannot be suggested as a solution because it releases a variety of toxins like polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans into the atmosphere that have the potential to harm human health and the environment. In agriculture also, we see an unprecedented increase in the use of plastic owing to its ease of manufacturing, transportation, physical properties, and cheaper rates. It is extensively used for greenhouses, mulching, irrigation tubes and drip lines, silage films, bottles for pesticides and fertilizers, bags, and so on. The use of plastic in agriculture has helped to increase yields and input efficiency, but at the same time, its mismanagement may lead to serious issues in crop production, human health, and the ecosystem.
According to environmentalists, there are two main channels through which plastic can enter the agri-ecosystem: a) leakage from non-agricultural sources and b) leakage from agricultural activities. According to an FAO report, agriculture value chains used 12.5 million tonnes of plastic products in plant and animal products and 37.3 million tonnes in food packaging in the year 2019. This does not include the data for usage in storage, processing, and distribution, as per the report. According to the report, only a small fraction of agricultural plastic is collected and recycled, and the accumulation of residues of plastic mulches in surface soils has resulted in a reduction in yields. In our area, we also see plastic pollution in apple orchards where plastic containers and bags are thrown in the orchards or in the water streams, which have dual risks. One is the plastic itself and the other is the pesticide adhered to the container. This indicates that the benefits of plastic in agriculture may get ruined if it is not handled properly. Another issue is the micro-plastic derived from agricultural plastic products, which has the potential to adversely affect human health.
According to the FOA document “Assessment of Agricultural Plastics and Their Sustainability, A Call for Action,” micro-plastics are vectors for the long-range dispersal of pathogens and toxic chemicals in oceans, and some plastic resins may also contain additives like phthalates and bisphenols, which are toxic to human beings. According to the researchers, these toxins can disrupt neuro-development, endocrine, and reproductive functions. In addition to this, the report says that the impact of micro-plastic has been traced at the cellular level affecting not only the individual organism but also the entire ecosystems. Scientific evidence confirms the presence of microplastics in human faeces, and mother-to-fetus transmission of nanoplastics is reported in the case of rats.
Research indicates that microplastics affect soil properties, including density, aggregation, and water availability. Studies also show that residues of agricultural mulch film left in soil may increase topsoil salt concentrations, reduce seed germination, and impair root growth. Similarly, the use of high levels of plastics (>240 kg/ha) has been reported to reduce yields of a range of crops between 11 percent and 25 percent.
In view of these, it is urgent that plastic pollution is recognized as a threat to sustainability at the grassroots level, and steps need to be taken to address the issue in a holistic manner covering the life cycle of plastic products (manufacturing, transportation, storage, use, and management after end-of-life) and circularity. There is an urgent need to look for alternatives, and FAO suggests the 6R model: Refuse, Redesign, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover. Environmentalists and all parties involved in environmental research must intensify their research efforts to quantify the fate of plastic used in their area.
It is essential to know what quantity of plastic is used, what is the composition of the end product, how it is used in day-to-day life, what happens to it throughout the supply chain, and at the end of its life. Comparing the suitability in terms of advantages and disadvantages of currently used and proposed alternatives under specific applications in agriculture from sowing of crops to marketing and post-discarding of material in the environment also can be an area of investigation for agriculture scientists and environmentalists.
The initiatives taken by the government of India in handling waste are encouraging steps towards reducing environmental pollution and waste recycling. The Swachh Bharat Mission Urban -2.0 launched by the government of India in 2021, for instance, has a target to make all Urban Local Bodies 3-star certified, based on the rating protocol for garbage-free cities. The action plan includes door-to-door collection, segregation at source, processing of wastes, and so on. Likewise, under Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen phase -II, guidelines have been issued to the states and union territories for solid waste management activities at the village level. A detailed account of the schemes, programs, and guidelines is available on the website dedicated to the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Public awareness, I believe, is very crucial in limiting the scale of the damage plastic pollution is causing to our environment and health. It is high time to join hands in this noble cause of saving our environment and look for solutions at all levels from global to the local community, in order to lessen the impact. A simple practice of using carry bags for daily purchases including fruits, vegetables, and other solid items, for instance, may greatly help in minimizing the use of plastic in our daily lives. Let us adopt at least this practice to play our role towards this war against plastic pollution.
The writer is Chief Scientist (Agronomy) MRCFC, SKUAST-Kashmir. He can be reached at [email protected]

Dr Tasneem Mubarak