DANIELA QUIROZ RESEARCH PAPER 1

DANIELA QUIROZ

Plastic Pollution and Global Warming

Research Paper

RWS 1302 Spring 2019

Instructor: Patricia Flores Hutson

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INTRODUCTION

Throughout the years, there has been a big crisis of how plastic pollution has caused a

major effect on our world as it has polluted and killed many of our marine life. Plastic takes

1,000 years to fully decompose and has fully polluted our Earth as many do not recycle. Not only

has plastic been a problem, but also global warming. Both have made a major impact on our

world, especially on our animals, to the point of extinction. According to scientist, we only have

twelve years to save our planet from warming up to the point of never going back. I chose this

topic to show people that even though we might not see it here, it is happening. There needs to

be changes in the amount of plastic usage and a decrease of emissions being out into our

atmosphere. And with a little start, there can be a big change. A pathway to change can be to

start recycling, start using metal straws, stop buying plastic cups and use reusable ones, and even

taking your own bag when shopping can help with the number of plastic bags being used and

thrown out every day. As for global warming, little starts can also make a difference, for

example, carpooling or walking can help as there can be a decrease of carbon dioxide into our

air, or even stop eating red meat to save our animals. If everyone can do small changes to make a

difference, we can still hope to save our planet and animal life. I stand to save our planet and

animal life, because they were here before us and human activity is slowly killing them. As

doing this research, I learned how much plastic is being used, and how this has been going on for

years. We have waited till the last minute to realize they are dying, and now we only have twelve

years to save our planet. Not only did I learn from researching, but also as doing my

methodology. As I went to the North Atlantic Grye, I truly learned the damage plastic is doing to

our oceans. It is so polluted by plastic that it is now called the North Atlantic Garbage Patch. It
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made me open my eyes and made me realize how important it was to do this research, not only

for myself, but to confirm the facts that most people know and start making a change.
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LITERATURE REVIEW

In today’s world, plastic pollution and global warming have played a big role, these two

tragedies are just few of the things that we as a society should take into consideration. But what

is global warming? According to the National Geographic (2019), it is not only rising average

temperatures but also extreme weather events, shifting populations and habitats, rising seas, and

other impacts. Not only are we human beings creating large amounts of greenhouse gases, in

which the earth warms up, but are we also polluting our lands, oceans, and even hurting our

animals with a simple use of plastic. As our earth gets polluted, our airs do too, causing climate

change. This paper investigates current literature within the last couple years to understand the

current discourse on environmental issues and what can be done to prevent more damage. First, a

consideration of the history of plastic, considered the plastic age, will be addressed to situate the

issue, then this paper will follow what effects plastic and pollution has on marine life and the air

we breathe.

The improper disposal of plastic has affected the way we live. In the year 1950, a new

age revolved: the plastic age. In a way, plastic is a new revolution as people wouldn’t have to

wash dishes, bottles wouldn’t break, and so the fact that it was cheap. But little did they know

that single use plastic is thrown away, and later polluted. In order to decrease the damages, in

1974 blue recycling cans were introduced and placed off the curbside of people’s homes, in

which increased by 1,050 by 1988 in the United States. As the years go on, by 2000 recycling

helped with global warming as it cuts down greenhouse emissions (Resource Center, 2016).

Although there were positive things being done, research shows that all the recycled being done

is thrown into landfills. According to The New York Times (2018), China announced last
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summer that they will no longer accept garbage from other countries, causing even recycled

trashed to go to waste. This has a major effect as pollution waste will eventually go into our

oceans, hurting and killing the animals. Only 20% of the plastic gets recycled, and 5 million tons

of plastic ends up in the oceans, killing millions of animals every year (Olson, 2019, p.1).

The question of whether or not to use plastic has been a huge debate, and has been talked

about many times. Though it is a useful item, it damages our marine animals and oceans as

plastic takes years to fully decompose. According to Katselson (2015), there has been more than

100 different species with stuffed microplastic inside of them. They can pass through the gills of

crabs and fish, and can even affect larger marine life, such as whales. By definition,

microplastics are small particles or fragments of plastic measuring less than 5mm in diameter,

staying intact in the oceans for a long time (Sidhu, 2018). The cause of this is the fact that

millions of plastics ends up in the oceans as our lands are polluted, and plastic can take

thousands of years to completely decompose. Another alarming affect that was found was

polypropylene, which accumulates 10 times more than microplastic (Katnelson, 2015). Marine

animals more affected by plastic are seabirds, turtles, fish, and crustaceans. Some examples that

have been a threat to them is that they can be tangled by fishing nets, being unable to swim, eat,

and eventually drown. These animals can’t tell the difference and eat on plastic, believing it is

food, which can later block their digestive tracts, damage stomach linings, or lessen drives (Laist,

1987). We may think that this has just been a problem, but marine life has been affected by

plastics ever since the plastic age era. We have had extinctions of animals that keeps on

increasing and have destroyed their homes due to humans being selfish and not cleaning up. This

all goes back to the fact that recycling is a problem and has now been dumped on landfills.
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Through it all, there is still hope to save our oceans and marine life. A start can be

reducing the amount of plastic bags used and taking our own bags to the grocery store. Other

examples, according to McDonough and Braungart (2002), would be to increase public

awareness about sustainability, and consider retailers to work to help keep plastic items within a

product recycling loop. A big trauma seen in today’s society was when a plastic straw was stuck

in a turtle’s nose, causing him enormous pain. This made a big movement that even Starbucks

announced that they will stop offering straws by 2020. Other movements that have agreed with

no use of plastic straws are Malibu, California, Miami, Seattle, Vancouver, and British Colombia

(CSP Staff, 2018). A straw is a small factor of all the plastic that is in our oceans that many

don’t realize, but it is a small step that can make a difference. We can help avoid the use of

straws by refusing to use them in restaurants, coffeehouses, or places that involve the use of

straws. There are many businesses that now take into consideration that plastic affects our planet.

Many stores have banned plastic bags when purchasing items forcing individuals to take their

own reusable plastic bags. This helps the process of plastic elimination because plastic bags

aren’t being thrown away and is one step to preventing it from going into oceans (Earth Day

2012). We tend to not care where our waste goes just because it disappears, but in reality, our

waste never goes away. Eight million tons of trash of plastic ends up in the ocean as a result of

60 tons per minute (Nina Jensen 2018).

Although plastic pollution is a big problem as it is, it can lead to worse. If we don’t

prevent plastic pollution it can lead to what is known as global warning. The importance of

global warming is not only rising average temperatures but also extreme weather events, shifting

populations and habitats, rising seas, and other impacts. When plastic is exposed to sunlight, it

can lead to harmful substances in greenhouse gases. In addition, when plastic goes into rivers,
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seas, etc. it begins to clog and jeopardizes animal life not only on water but on land as well.

Plastic appears to also have a detrimental impact on the environment itself (Environmental

Technology, 2018). As our population increases, so will more emissions into our atmosphere,

causing global warming, and eventually will it not only affect us, but so will the animal’s

habitats. Based on Climate and Weather (2019), climate change could cause a quarter of land

animals, birdlife and plants to become extinct. Facing the facts, a few examples of the dangers

would be how birds migrate and nest earlier than usual and a sea level rise of 50cm can cause sea

turtles to lose their nesting beaches. Human activity has already caused animals to change their

ways of migration, which has destroyed their ways of always living. Another major concern in

today’s society, apart from the turtle’s straw, is pictures of polar bears on just one ice sheet. The

earth warming up has been a threat to animals on land, and have even struggled to fish for food

as, for example, fish have migrated and are left with nothing. According to Iberdrola (2019),

climate change can be responsible for 8% of 25,000 animals becoming extinct. Coral reefs are

turning into white desserts, causing fish to not have a habitat anymore.

Despite of all the bad, there is still hope to save our planet and animals. Some changes

that can be made to lessen the carbon dioxide in our air would be to use renewable energy, use

energy efficient appliances, reduce water waste, eat less meat, un plug plugs when not used to

save energy, carpool, and even invest in using solar panels (Denchak, 2019). Not only can all

these things help our animals, but even for our future.

With that being said, plastic pollution and global warming have big effects on our

animals. The warming up of our earth and our oceans being polluted has caused major damage,

but change can be made. With a simple start of reducing plastic, such as straws and bags, and

decreasing the use of carbon dioxide can help improve our world and save our animals.
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METHADOLOGY

As I have finished my research, questions needed to be asked. There are three types of

methodologies: qualitative, quantitative, and ethnography. For my methodology, I will conduct a

quantitative study. As my research was done on the way’s plastic has damaged our marine life

animals, and how global warming also has an impact, the best way to collect the data being made

for this research is by having facts and numbers rather than opinions as it is a big global issue,

and many people have their own opinions about it.

Though there are many places being polluted, I traveled by helicopter to where our ocean

was most polluted: the North Atlantic Gyre. It is so polluted that it is now called the North

Atlantic Garbage Patch, and has a density of 200,000 pieces of trash. Because of the sadness of it

all, I had questions to be asked.

 Has anyone invented anything to dispose the trash?

 How does all the plastic end up in our oceans?

 Have people invested money to save our oceans and marine life?

 How much new plastic is in our oceans each day?

 How many marine animals die each year?

 Has there been a decrease in the amount of plastic used?

 Do more animals die because of plastic or global warming?

By asking questions and already having my research done, it gives the audience a wider

view on why plastic pollution and global warming is such a big crisis, especially on animals.

Having the opportunity to travel and actually see the damage being done to our planet opened my
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eyes and made me realize how this is actually happening. Not only did I travel to the Atlantic

Ocean, but also to Antarctica. As I landed, I was astonished on how our earth is really warming up

and we only have 12 years to save our planet. Our glaciers are melting, and our animals are slowly

dying. Though wishing I had the opportunity to interview people who know about wild animals,

my quantitative study helped me collect and analyze the data and facts without asking person per

person. Some simple facts are that not only is plastic polluting our oceans, but so is our river, lakes,

and streams. Due to this, getting clean water could be a problem later on in life if no change could

be made.

But there are ways to help out. There’re petitions to help and donate money to help wild

life being affected by climate change or plastic pollution. Doing a quantitative study has helped as

the data informs the audience on the actual numbers of, for example, animals dying or amount of

plastic going into our oceans each year or day. Other ways to help out is using reusable cups,

straws, bags for the grocery, and even start to start recycling. Another way to reduce global

warming is by walking instead of driving, turning off the lights when not used, and so much more.

Being informed by facts and numbers is an easy way to study a case and make a difference.

This study has helped as making questions was easier, and can be answered with simple straight

up facts.
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CONCLUSION

All in all, plastic and global warming is damaging or planet. If we don’t change the way

we do things, we may cause irreversible damage that will eventually lead to the extinction of

many animals and even the human population. Plastic has always been seen as the simple and

easy way to package and process items such as food, clothes and even boxes. Since it takes so

long to break down and decompose, the plastic that the strawberries that were sold in last week

will still be around even after the person who ate those strawberries has passed away. There are

many ways to reduce our plastic intake, from using reusable shopping bags, to not using plastic

cups. People just need to make a little bit of a sacrifice to save our planet. If all the people in the

world make a little change, we can save our planet and get the trash to stay out of our oceans. By

getting trash to stay out of the ocean, we can save many marine life from extinction and we can

enjoy our oceans. This reduction of plastic won’t just save the ocean and marine life, but also

wild animals human activity has been killing. These wild animals were on this earth before we

were, and we have invaded their home and have made it our own personal dumping ground. We

need to respect these animals and do everything we can to save them. We can save the oceans,

the animals that inhabit this planet, and ourselves, we just need to make a little bit of change. Not

only this, but also save the planet by reducing carbon dioxide into our atmosphere. Reducing the

number of cars driving, saving water, and start using solar panels to save energy. Wild life

animals are also put at risks, especially those that live in the Artic. Ice sheets are melting, fish are

migrating, making it hard for polar bears to survive and find food. Penguins and other animals

are in ganger of extinction if our earth keeps warming up. At the end of the day, we only have

two choices, sacrifice a little to save a lot or stay the way we are and end up killing the planet

and ourselves along with it.

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REFERENCES

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A Brief Timeline of the History of Recycling. (2016, April 14). Retrieved from

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recycling

CSP Staff. (2018). Consumers reach their last straw with plastic pollution. CSP, 29(10), 72.

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https://www.nrdc.org/stories/how-you-can-stop-global-warming

Iberdrola Corporativa. (2019). Climate change is accelerating the sixth extinction. Retrieved

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species
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Jensen, N. (2018). 8 steps to solve the ocean's plastic problem. World Economic Forum.

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