The effects of plastic pollution can have far reaching consequences for a wide range of stakeholders and ecosystems. Single-use plastics including packaging, grocery bags, and plastic bottles as well as microbeads from cosmetics make their way into oceans and other bodies of water. These plastics remain on land or in water for hundreds of years since they are not biodegradable. Some plastic breaks down into microplastics which have their own plethora of negative effects on human and animal health. These small pieces of plastic can be ingested through food or water and can end up in aquatic ecosystems.1 Plastic production and consumption is also a large contributor to climate change because it is such a large industry. Therefore, due to plastic’s negative environmental, economic, and social effects, it is apparent that we need to find a way to make plastic fit more sustainably into our world.
Finding solutions that meet everyone’s needs while keeping the planet in mind is not a simple task. Plastic is a very important material in our lives, and one we probably take for granted. Therefore, eradicating it completely is most likely not an option. It is a cheap and convenient material that provides us with a variety of uses. Hence, we need to find a balance between limiting the use and production of plastic, how we dispose of plastic, how we can clean it up, as well as finding alternatives to plastic that can be made readily available to the public. This is all in an attempt to mitigate the consequences that plastic pollution has on the environment and on the livelihood of people. Using systems thinking can allow us to see a problem from a larger perspective. According to Niesenbaum in Sustainable Solutions, systems thinking is a “holistic approach that focuses on the linkages and interactions between elements that compose an entire system, including social and environmental conditions”.2 Systems thinking reveals how the consequences of plastic pollution are related to the causes and also sheds light on potential barriers to possible solutions. This is helpful in readdressing our solutions to make them more sustainable. Figure 1 shows a systems thinking approach to the plastic pollution problem and how the causes, consequences, solutions, and barriers of the problem are all connected.
The first thing that this diagram shows is how the causes of plastic pollution directly lead to certain consequences. Increasing any of the causes has a direct increase on the consequences. For example, if you are to increase the consumption of plastic and the overconsumption culture that is fostered in many developed countries, this would lead to more plastic accumulation. Furthermore, looking at the causes of plastic pollution can reveal obvious solutions. One reason that there is so much plastic pollution is because of the heavy reliance on single use plastics on a daily basis. An apparent solution may be to provide more funding to explore biodegradable or plant based plastics that do not take as long to decompose.
While this way of thinking helps to provide obvious solutions and consequences, it also changed the way in which I view the efficacy of certain solutions to the issue of plastic pollution by highlighting potential barriers to these solutions. Originally, I only thought about what the positive effects of the solutions were. How can this solution benefit people? What will this solution do to minimize plastic pollution? However, in doing so, I failed to realize that a lot of solutions that seem beneficial at the moment would actually be very difficult to implement or would have negative effects on certain groups of people.
For example, one might first think that we should simply cut down on plastic production and plastic use as a way to decrease plastic pollution. However, the global plastic market was valued at 580 billion U.S. dollars as of 2020 and is only expected to grow.3 This means that it helps fuel the economy and provides jobs to many people. Decreasing the supply of plastic would mean that people would be out of work and the revenues from plastic consumption would decline. Furthermore, if we were to cut down on the plastic supply, many people may not be able to afford alternative products such as reusable bags or containers. Plastic is affordable to many and also a convenient product. Similarly, if the government was to place a tax on certain products or ban plastic completely, this may disproportionately affect poorer communities. Even if everyone was able to afford reusable plastic products or new biodegradable options, people may be resistant to this change and may feel it is still easier to rely on single use plastics for their daily needs. Another solution could be to look into new ways to create affordable plant based, biodegradable alternatives to plastic that serve the same purpose as single use plastics. However, the diagram presents the barriers that as previously mentioned, plastic is cheap and convenient, meaning people may continue to purchase and use it regardless of the alternatives. Also, while bioplastics are created from plant material, and therefore emit less greenhouse gases, most bioplastics need high temperature industrial composting facilities to break down. Many places do not have the infrastructure for this.4 It becomes apparent that bioplastics as well as other solutions have their own issues that we must take into consideration.
This systems thinking exercise allows for unintended consequences to be seen. While something might appear to be a solution to plastic pollution, there are many limits to a lot of these solutions. Therefore, a holistic approach demonstrates that due to the barriers of certain solutions, a combination of personal changes as well as policy changes may help to limit the negative ways pollution harms our environmental, economic, and social systems.
References
1. National Geographic Society. “Microplastics.” National Geographic Society, June 28, 2019. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/microplastics/.
2.Niesenbaum, Richard A. Sustainable Solutions: Problem Solving for Current and Future Generations. New York: Oxford University Press, 2020.
3. “Plastic Market Size Worldwide 2028.” Statista. Ian Tieso, November 22, 2021. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1060583/global-market-value-of-plastic/.
4. Cho, Renee. “The Truth About Bioplastics.” Columbia Climate School, December 13, 2017. https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2017/12/13/the-truth-about-bioplastics/.
