JUST TWO years after Prime J Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech called for putting an end to the use of single-use plastics, India imposed a ban on 21 such items from July 1, 2022.
While the rollout is a positive step, the Centre's decision not to include packaging plastics, an umbrella term for a host of plastic products used by fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies, is likely to come in the way of Modi's plan to make India single-use-plastic-free by 2022. After all, packaging plastic, which includes everything from plastic bottles and sachets to multi-layered plastic (MLP) packets used for junk food, accounted for 59 per cent of the country's plastic waste generated in 2018-19, according to the plastic industry body PlastIndia Foundation.
The reason the FMCG sector has escaped the ban largely unscathed is the skewed discourse conveniently peddled by the industry. They claim that the problem with plastics is only of waste management and not of material production because it can be recycled, repurposed, burned and buried. This selective approach is unlikely to solve the plastic waste problem that is mounting at an alarming rate.
If the trend continues, greenhouse gas emissions from plastics alone would contribute around 15 per cent of the global carbon budget by 2050, warns a 2019 study published in Nature Climate Change. The lifetime cost to society, the environment and the economy of plastic produced in 2019 alone was US $3.7 trillion-more than India's gross domestic product-estimates a 2021 report by international non-profit wwF. Unless action is taken, this cost is set to double for the plastic produced in 2040, it warns.
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Esta historia es de la edición September 01, 2022 de Down To Earth.
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A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
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DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
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Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
