The End of Throwaway Culture? - Sila Paniker

-
A few weeks ago, there was talk of new rules that would encourage many people to take a big step towards saving the environment.
"Throwaway culture" is a term used to describe overwhelming over consumption and the use of short lived/single use products that our society has become accustomed to.
The EU wants to get rid of this cycle by enforcing regulations. By providing an incentive, it could encourage manufacturers to make better quality, longer lasting products. More recommendations under their Circular Economy Action Plan are to increase recycled material in products and reduce their impact on the climate.
While this is a movement started in Europe, the rest of the world could follow their lead as people push for an end to throwaway culture.
However, with the rise of coronavirus, America has taken a step in the opposite direction. The EPA has temporarily stopped the enforcement of many environmental laws. This is disappointing to many environmental activists but understandable. Disposable products are bad for the environment but have short lives and are less likely to spread the virus.
It may look like the end of our fight with climate change is near because of this step backwards but coronavirus has impacted the environment in other ways as well. Pollution and greenhouse gas emissions have dropped as people quarantine and avoid all forms of transportation. Without humans constantly out and about, nature has been able to restore itself, such as the canals in Italy where the waters are clear and dolphins have been spotted.
Coronavirus has had apparent affect on the environment but is its impact for the better or worse?
New York banned the use of plastic bags but that allows for easier transfer of the virus.

Comments

  1. DanielleMarch 31, 2020 at 10:39 AM

    Yes, some of these shifts are in an effort to help slow the spread of the virus. Hopefully we will get back to fewer throwaways.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ancient Greek Heroes VS. Modern Day Heroes

-
Image
Heroes in Greek/Anglo-Saxon (I am grouping the types of historical literature we have read) writing are very obvious and much of ancient Greek literature involves a central hero or a supernatural story. In modern day English, however, the plots are less often mythical and more realistic. Since each person has a different definition for heroism, modern day heroism literature can be more varied. Ancient Greek writing is very often far-fetched, however. There are many similarities and differences between the two types of writing, but first I will run through the most significant differences. In Greek mythology, heroes were often religious figures, like demigods, while modern day writing focuses more on ordinary people. This could be because authors nowadays want the readers to be able to relate with the heroes in their stories. Greek writing had heroes that had the power to protect or destroy the people depending on prevailing circumstances. In contrast, modern day heroes are acknowledg...
Read more

My Brother by Elizabeth Hailey DeGasperis

-
Image
          When I contemplate what is most important in my life, my mind is drawn to my 21-year-old brother, Tom. There are not enough words in the English language I could use to describe what he means to me. I cannot imagine the past fifteen years of my life without him. Allow me to start from the beginning.           Even when I was an infant, he never failed to take me out of my crib, strap me in my high chair, and cook scrambled eggs for us (at the tender age of six). He did this so my mother could catch up on sleep in the mornings and take care of me however he could. I only wish I could return the favour in some way. Though we have always been tight, we used to fight frequently as all siblings do. As immature children, we viewed every ordeal as monumental. The apocalypse would occur if either of us decided to give the other access to the TV remote or the pogo sticks for five minutes. However, we would always make-up in the end and...
Read more

Not Fate, Just a Coincidence - Sila Paniker

-
Image
The idea of fate confuses me. I don't really understand how something will happen no matter what you do. It just seems very unlikely. I think we're constantly making choices that lead to occurrences. We make so many decisions a day that it seems impossible that fate can find a way around it all.  Awhile ago, I saw something called the Butterfly Effect, which doesn't exactly relate to fate but it makes sense to me. The idea is that a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a tornado on the other side of the world. Essentially, small changes can have large impacts. In my head, this connects with the thousands of tiny decisions we subconsciously make each day. There are people I've met or things that have happened and it feels like it was meant to be but they're just a bunch of coincidences that had the ability to change everything. Thinking about it, there are reasons that can explain everything. For example, I met one of my closest friends a few years ago a...
Read more