Nowadays, the use of plastic shopping bags is common due to their convenience and durability. However, this has caused negative effects on animals and the environment around the world. In my opinion, the reduction of plastic bags is important to make it better for society.
To begin with, plastic causes an unpleasant atmosphere and soil degradation in the surrounding areas where people throw away trash carelessly. Crude oil and natural gas are the raw materials of plastic production which make plastic difficult to decompose, as mentioned in University of Colorado Boulder it was reported that Plastic bags that end up in landfills or in the environment take more than 1,000 years to deteriorate. A pile of toxic chemicals over a long period of time contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, pollution from plastic residue in the air and the soil affect population health and contaminated soil.
In addition, plastic shopping bags negatively affect marine species in many ways. When tourists travel by the sea, they are negligent and throw plastic garbage everywhere. A number of aquatic animals are exceedingly susceptible to entanglement. According to the World Wildlife Fund, it was reported that 52 percent of the world’s turtles have eaten plastic shopping bags because they mistake these items for their food as jellyfish. This leads to plastic getting stuck in the stomach and body.
In summary, I definitely agree that plastic shopping bags lead to deterioration of the atmosphere, nature degradation, and causing extinction of species. Thus, the government should enact legislation to prevent natural resources being destroyed by human action including the excessive use of plastic bags.