Canada recently announced a ban on single-use plastics. Items like straws, cotton swabs, drink stirrers and Styrofoam fast-food containers and cups will be banned by 2021.
But even as the list of countries that have made similar pledges grows, including all those in the European Union, some researchers have framed the plastic pollution problem as a distraction that undermines action on more severe planetary threats such as climate change and biodiversity loss.
As researchers who study plastic pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss, we feel that we simply do not have the luxury of tackling environmental issues one at a time. We need continued momentum on all fronts to address the growing list of threats to planetary health.
Read more at The University of Queensland Australia
Photo credit: Hans via Pixabay