16.11.2022
Shoppers in England to be charged for plastic bags – guardian.com (2013)
Debate – This house believes that we must fall in love with plastic again.
It is very obvious that plastic brings more harm than good. Humans have depended on plastic for their entire life and it is almost impossible to have a life without plastic. Even though plastic is strictly banned throughout several countries, the alternatives are not showing signs of 100% sustainability. This course made me think more about the life of materials, in which the process they are made, and the disposal/ dissemble of materials. We are only seeing sustainable products to be ‘sustainable’ because it is promoted like that.
I personally disagree with the debate motion as I have been learning and experiencing the harmful effect of plastics. Back in my country, I found plastic in the soil as I was about to plant trees around my house compound. It was still in its original shape except being covered in dirt. Just imagine how many plastics are gathered in landfills for the past decades. Discarded plastics often end up in landfills and contribute a big percentage of pollution. Traditionally, plastics are burnt to be easily disposed and this is still happening in third-world countries. It is very awful to see but these countries have no choice but to make use of whatever they have.
Alternatives to plastic do not seem convincing either. Biodegradable plastic may seem to be disposed of easily and sustainably, but it was also made using energy such as fossil fuels. Paper bag encourages deforestation and it is not a good solution to cure pollution. It may seem unrealistic, but if the world can stop producing plastics and continue to enforce a circular economy by recycling/upcycling existing resources, it is possible to overcome/ reduce these environmental problems.
Thanks.
Love, Aliah
17.11.2022
THEME 4: ENVIRONMENTAL FUTURES – Time, Hope and Possibilities in Design
In this class, I was thinking a bit about this phrase:
‘ Without major catastrophes like an enormous
volcanic eruption, an unexpected epidemic, a
large-scale nuclear war, an asteroid impact, a new
ice age, or continued plundering of Earth’s
resources by partially still primitive technology …
mankind will remain a major geological force for
many millennia, maybe millions of years, to come.
To develop a world-wide accepted strategy leading
to sustainability of ecosystems against human
induced stresses will be one of the great future
tasks of mankind…’ – Stoermer and Crutzen, 2000: 18
From my own interpretation, it seems that humankind used to be the main force on this planet, but not until consequences came because of their action. Without the disasters and environmental damages, humans are not realizing how much harm they have created. Even so, humans are still living as if they own the planet and putting aside other living and non-living things. Some of us are living for our own benefit and do not care about what is happening around us. It is definitely a behavior that is hard to tackle or change and moving toward sustainability remains the biggest challenge of all time.
Thanks.
Love, Aliah
