Plastics is one of the products that are leading in polluting the environment. Some of the goods made of plastic include plastic water bottles. Bottled water is the most consumed drink and beverage across the world. This is since the product is easily accessible and cheap. They are bought in large numbers and end up being irregularly disposed of, thus polluting the environment. Plastics are detrimental to the environment; they affect the soil, water, air and eventually lead to climate change and global warming. Although plastic bottled water is a better alternative to sugary drinks, plastic bottles are a threat to the environment, hence they should be banned.
Banning bottled water would be the right decision that would help reduce waste and protect the environment. The main component in water bottles is plastic. Plastics are a product of fossil fuels; when they are burned, they produce persistent organic pollutants (POP) (“Should Bottled Water Be Banned” 1). This is the polluting component of plastics. Although they are burnt, they still remain persistent in the air for a long time. When this happens, it forms its own clouds or merges with the existing ones forming polluted air. They are rich in toxic chemicals. Air pollution, one of the factors contributing to climate change, is caused by harmful emissions as a result of human activities. Factories and industrial facilities manufacturing plastic products are the major contributors to air pollution.
Banning bottled water is a correct decision since plastics are harmful to our health when ingested or inhaled. Plastics are made of petroleum products that also contribute to air pollution. Regulating emissions from these agents will therefore ensure that air pollution is reduced not only in the community but globally (“Should Bottled Water Be Banned” 2). Most communities lack proper waste disposal mechanisms; one of the harmful ways of disposing of wastes is burning – this often leads to air pollution.
Plastics are a threat to aquatic life. Aquatics such as fish are at a danger of being extinct because of plastics being disposed of in lakes, oceans, and seas. When consumed by fish and other aquatic creatures, the plastics block the breathing system of the animals and they end up suffocating. On the other hand, since ocean currents and air affect the climate, when they are polluted, they cannot form enough precipitation to form clouds that would eventually lead to rains. Unfortunately, some of the aquatic life such as fish find themselves on our tables as food; hence, we are jeopardizing our health when we use bottled water. Besides, they are a threat to aquatic life as when they are consumed by aquatics, they cause complications and may lead to death. When plastics are burnt, they pollute the air. When this occurs, they cause the greenhouse effect which is associated with climate change and global warming. Plastics adversely affect the soil since they cannot be decomposed and utilized as nutrients in the soil.
A ban on bottled water would protect the local water supplies from exploitation. Bottling plants are the cause of dried-up wells and wetlands or a depletion of the streamflow in the areas they are set up (“Should Bottled Water Be Banned” 2). Deposits of plastics in oceans interrupt the flow of oceanic currents. Due to destructive human activities such as the use of plastics, global climate has been fluctuating, and climate patterns have been difficult to predict. Recent research indicates that the conveyor belt has been affected as well. The oceanic conveyor belt is a system that facilitates the movement of oceanic currents. Unfortunately, climate change is threatening to change the pattern of how the circulation of oceanic currents occurs. One of the consequences of its interference in the flow of ocean currents is that it could either slow or stop the conveyor belt entirely. One of the effects of climate change on the oceanic conveyor belt is that it leads to a rise in global temperatures.
Although the use of bottled water may be cheap to purchase, it is costly to maintain and dispose of. One of the consequences of the use of plastic bottles is climate change. Due to harsh climatic conditions, such as droughts, governments have been forced to initiate food distribution programs that are costly (“Should Bottled Water Be Banned” 3). Climate change and global warming also have detrimental impacts on agriculture, which is one of the leading income-generating sectors in most countries. There has been a change in climate all over the world with some parts of it experiencing extreme climatic conditions such as high temperatures or lack of rainfall. These environmental issues affect the quality of life. Recently, it has become hard to predict the climate in most parts of the world, as weather patterns have changed.
In summary, it is evident that bottled water does more harm than good to both humans and the environment, and hence they should be banned. They are harmful in the following ways: First, plastics do not decompose easily. This means that when they are burnt, they stay in the air longer, and since they contain pollutants, they contaminate the air. Due to plastics’ inability to be decomposed, they pose a threat to both the vegetation and insects, animals, and microorganisms in the soil. It has also been scientifically proven that it interferes with the flow of oceanic currents which leads to a rise in global temperatures. Some of the impacts of climate change on a diverse population include food shortages, aridity, acid rain, high temperatures, lack of rainfall.
Work Cited
“Should Bottled Water Be Banned? – Top 4 Pros and Cons.” ProCon, 2018. Web.