EARTH DAY 2024 may be themed Planet vs. Plastics, but taking action against the global plastic trash crisis starts today. Get ahead of next year’s Earth Day, learn how plastic is transforming our planet and what you can do about it.
Each EARTH DAY, a new theme is assigned based on pressing issues currently placing the planet in peril. The theme encourages the planet to work together for a common goal; so we can make progress — one issue at a time. The theme for 2024 has been declared: Planet vs. Plastics.
Plastics have been chosen as our common enemy for their total infiltration into every part of our lives — and the lives of millions of animals in different ecosystems. Plastic can take between 20 to 500 years to decompose, never fully disappearing. But the plastic problem goes beyond waste, the production of plastic, especially plastic food packaging and bottles, requires fossil fuels that need to be fracked from the ground, directly emitting carbon emissions, such as methane, into the environment. This creates a domino effect that eventually ends with a dangerous rise in the Earth’s temperature.
Since 1970, plastic has increasingly infected every part of our lives. Tiny bits of plastic, microplastics, are everywhere and in everything, including our food sources. From fish to fresh local produce, from the depths of Antarctica to the apples in Italy, microplastics are one of the most pervasive and ubiquitous substances on the planet. It’s estimated that we eat the equivalent to one credit card a week in microplastics — nearly 20 kg (44 lbs) of plastic in a lifetime.
Despite widespread knowledge that plastic isn’t good for us or our planet, it's still manufactured around the world and a major part of our daily lives. 400 million tons of plastic are wasted each year. And it’s predicted that by 2050, that number could increase to 1,000 million tons of plastic wasted a year. An increase in plastic waste will have consequences that are irreparable — creating more waste catastrophes like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the largest accumulation of plastic in the world, that currently have no viable solutions.
An increase in plastic waste will not only damage our environment, but also our BIODIVERSITY. Over 8 million tons of plastic finds its way into the ocean every year, a rate that has led to nearly 40% of the ocean’s surface to be covered by plastic and warnings from scientists that there may soon be more plastic than fish as soon as 2030. Each year, 100,000 marine animals are killed due to ingestion or entanglement from plastic debris and ghost fishing equipment. It’s not just marine animals who are impacted by plastic waste — wildlife on land is affected as well.
People globally are joining the fight against plastics; reducing their use of single-use plastics and demanding policies prohibiting the legal production of plastic. If more of us voice our concerns about plastic and demand action — we’re more likely to win the fight.
Be a part of the solution this EARTH DAY. Say no to plastic, donate with VAKOVAKO.
