Answer:
Due to many recent environmental health movements against plastics, many people believe plastic bags are detrimental to the planet’s health. Increased awareness of plastic’s harm to the world has led to an increased usage of cotton and paper bags.
However, the question lies in whether these alternatives are better than plastic bags. Although plastic bags seem to be generating a considerable carbon footprint on the planet and contaminating our oceans, cities should not ban plastic bags since the benefits of plastic bag use far outweigh current alternatives. Plastic bags are simply practical, sanitary, and produce far less pollution.
Despite plastic bags being the most convenient and beneficial option, the damage they bring is undeniably immense. An article published by Sustainability Times reveals that plastic bags’ carbon footprint is enormous due to their high demand and delivery process.
Drilling limited fossil fuels to create these ubiquitous bags takes a toll on the planet, creates many harmful greenhouse gases, and uses an unsustainable resource. This knowledge will alarm environmentalists because it exposes the stresses plastic bags place on our planet, such as the severe pollution plastic bags inflict on the world.
Another finding by National Geographic documents a monstrosity of non-degradable plastic debris floating in the ocean named the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This scar of plastic’s damage to our marine habitat gives us an insight into our possible future. Likewise, the University of Georgia College of Engineering affirms that nearly eight million tons of plastic fill the ocean every year.
Readers can infer that continuing down the path of extensive plastic usage will further injure marine life, and they are correct. Therefore, believing plastic bags are damaging to nature is clear with this given knowledge.
Nevertheless, the damage caused by plastic bags is minimal compared to other options. According to National Geographic, a supposedly better replacement, a paper bag, generates four times the amount of carbon emissions than plastic bags and would only be more beneficial to the environment if reused around 43 times; due to paper bags’ low durability, this rarely occurs.
