Forevermore

Out of all the things we wished were permanent, plastic isn’t one of them… Long lasting love, world peace, days in an amusement park are more likely things we wish would stay forever, but not plastic.

Despite the insurmountable recycling efforts by most individuals and the world at large. The problem seems to be more out of hand than previously thought of. Coming from a third world country where wages depend on the rampant use of plastic the solution seems to be like a bleep in the horizon.

Of course, a doomsday approach to the problem is not the right way to go. A pessimistic outlook towards anything has never helped anyone, but there is a thin line between positivity and foolish optimisim.

A study by Switzerland based non-profit EA Earth Action predicts that a massive 220 million tonnes of plastic waste will be generated in 2024. This is equal to 1,629,629 Blue whales, and according to the World Wildlife Fund it is estimated that only 15,000 – 20,000 blue whales are left in the world.

The ‘boomers’ or the generation of people who are in their 60s straight out don’t care about environmental problems. It doesn’t concern them because they are in their twilight zone. Their ignorance might have exacerbated the problems and being forthcoming about solutions its not in their skillset, they don’t need to be. There are, of course, always exceptions.

We can blame the industrial revolution of the 18^th century, however that would be like blaming Hitler for the current war between Israel and Palestine. I mean sure, we can draw parallels somewhere, but is a sling shot approach really the way forward? … No… The ammuntion we need to combat this problem probably involves a few army tanks and machine guns, but in defense of the planet as a whole and not the territory of individual countries.

The strong perseverance and will power of every man, woman, child… and possibly all the apes, is needed to even think of making a dent on the ‘plastic problem’.

Photos taken by Rachita at Re-Circle.in via Wedothings.in. Mumbai, India. March 2024