Today, June 5, world environment day. It’s time to remember the importance of finding measures against changing of the climate and pollution. But measures that really work. Sometimes in good faith, and sometimes with hidden interests, as happens with greenwashing, means are used that do not help and, as if this is not enough, can harm. For example, it has recently been observed that sugar cane plastic poses a threat to Wednesday.
Curiously, this bioplastic, made from polylactic acid (PLA), recently made headlines for not decomposing properly in the sea. Very easy to break into compost heapswhere the temperature is very high. However, when the scientists asked about its ability to decompose in sea water, they noted that they may have been too hasty about it. biodegradable.
Now, as if that wasn’t enough, it has been observed that this plastic can also affect fish behavior. Well, at least it affects river perch (perca fluviatilis), as this is the species with which the experiments were carried out. but it could be extrapolated to more fish. All this is a serious problem for the environment, which we, of course, do not pay due attention to.
Why is plastic so dangerous?
We are well aware of the impact of conventional plastic on the environment. when we get rid of them can take hundreds of years to decompose. In some cases up to a thousand years. Therefore, the chemicals they contain can contaminate the soil and, even worse, end up in the aquatic environment. There, in the rivers and oceans, they believe danger to its wildlife at very different levels. For example, they can cause suffocation and gastric congestion when these animals ingest large chunks. In other cases, they are very small pieces, so large that they are called microplastics. In this case, they do not cause asphyxiation, but in the long term they can be toxic.
First of all, they pose a danger to types of filter feeders, since large concentrations of plastic can be concentrated in your body. In addition, since these species are commonly present in the fish food chain and are directly or indirectly part of our diet, the microplastics we excrete they affect us. That is why you can often find them in our stomach. Although this is not the only place in our body where they are found. Microplastics have also been found in blood, breast milk and even lungs.
We might think that the solution is to burn this plastic, but that creates an even bigger problem. Ordinary plastic is made from Oilso burning it can release a large amount greenhouse gasesadding fuel to the fire changing of the climate.
A solution that could also be a problem for the environment
In order to avoid all the above problems in recent years, all kinds of bioplastics. These are plastics that are usually made from plant-based ingredients and therefore break down more easily when release into the environment. On the other hand, they are usually non-toxic, therefore harmless to flora and fauna. water environment. Or so they thought, because not everything is so harmless.
A recently published study in Environmental science in general demonstrates that plastic derived from polylactic acid from sugar cane can influence behavior river perch.
This conclusion was reached after adding this substance to the feed fed to the fish during six months.
After this time, several strange behaviors were observed in the fish. On the one hand, they reacted more acutely when they met New companion, so they may even have mating problems. In addition, decreased mobility and changing their behavior when creating rolls or reacting to danger. Come on, they don’t breed well, they don’t move well, they don’t run away, and they don’t group properly. This is a clear problem for the view and therefore for Wednesday.
To try to solve this problem, the study authors also tried to add other substances to fish food that could be part of the plastic. For example, he kaolin. However, this did not affect the behavior of the fish. However, there were problems with the male sex hormone and the expression of stress genes was altered. This means that the genes that cause beneficial responses to stressful situations were not turned on properly, which again is a problem for the fish and the environment.
He greenwashing and climate change
This problem with bioplastics shows that not everything that comes with the prefix bio- is more Does not harm the environment.
In the case of plastic, this is something unexpected, because the lenses were good. However, some companies that just want to increase their sales may use these prefixes to pretend they care about the environment. They can even implement small measures that will really make a difference. fight climate change, but which do not even remotely compensate for all the damage they actually cause. This is what is known as greenwashing and this is something we need to pay close attention to.
Because the world environment day It’s time to remember that it is big capital and big business that have the greatest power in the fight against climate change. The rest of us can do small changes in habits, but we do not have the strength to get great results. If we need science to solve plastic problems, with studies like the one that demonstrates the impact on fish, then to fully fight climate change we need big shots, those whose behavior does not change with plastic from sugar cane, sugar, start acting Right. This is the best way to take care of the environment.
Source: Hiper Textual
