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While I have no doubt that the EPA will be more hampered than helped by the current administration, I think we could leave politics aside and ask what can pract
by goodcanadian 10y ago
While I have no doubt that the EPA will be more hampered than helped by the current administration, I think we could leave politics aside and ask what can practically be done short of banning all plastic production? As long as plastic exists, these microparticles will continue to be produced. I don't really see a way around it. Before we freak out, however, we should try to understand what this even means. Most plastics are relatively inert, so this may be basically harmless. Or, it may be a complete disaster; we don't know.
- dajohnson89 10y agoIndeed, it will be a difficult problem to fix. For starters, being tougher on industrial waste will help. Incentivizing the production of biodegradable materials. Funding research into understanding the full impacts of microplastics upon our food chain. Funding research into how best to clean up our oceans, and practical clean-up efforts. (See http://www.dailypress.com/news/science/dp-nws--pruitt-bay-about-face-20170123-story.html http://www.dailypress.com/news/science/dp-nws--pruitt-bay-ab... as an example). I hate hate hate talking about politics. But I'm starting to realize that for big issues like this, it's impossible to have a meaningful conversation without getting into government policy.
- Retric 10y agoI never got all this government hate. Governments can solve problems, which is why we have them in the first place. Yes, they are dangerous, so are cars.
- Retric 10y agoWe can do something without banning all plastics. We could just ban plastics that don't degrade fairly quickly when broken into tiny bits. Wood for example with a coating can be stable for decades, but microscopic bits of wood are not around for long.