<instructions>Your goal is to analyze the following comment and estimate how highly it will be upvoted by the Hacker News community.</instructions><comment><author>DoingIsLearning</author><text>People are shutting down the discussion in a somewhat dishonest way. &amp;quot;Can&amp;#x27;t get rid of all plastics so let&amp;#x27;s do nothing!&amp;quot;&lt;p&gt;The societal need we have is to get rid of single use-plastic and frail plastic based textiles which are the two main contributors for this microplastic degradation into our water cycle and food (and all wildlife ecosystems).&lt;p&gt;Even purely from an engineering standpoint it is absolutely ridiculous to design a part that will last 450 years to then use it to carry soda around for 45 min.&lt;p&gt;Apart from single-use plastic usage in laboratory work and medical applications all other uses only have a purely economic benefit and should be banned (and the companies that transition should fork the costs). They have externalized the environmental cost of packaging for decades, a market correction is overdue.&lt;p&gt;The issue is not about getting ready of plastic. The ABS plastic part inside a mechanical assembly will likely do it&amp;#x27;s job for decades undisturbed. The issue really is banning single-use plastic.</text><parent_chain><item><author>flangola7</author><text>&amp;gt; Except you could find an alternative for asbestos. I don’t think anyone could come up with a replacement for plastic that is… not plastic like.&lt;p&gt;Modern humans have walked the Earth for 300,000 years. We use plastics for 0.03% of our history and suddenly think we can&amp;#x27;t survive without them.&lt;p&gt;ಠ_ಠ</text></item><item><author>soligern</author><text>Except you could find an alternative for asbestos. I don’t think anyone could come up with a replacement for plastic that is… not plastic like.&lt;p&gt;Ideally someone would make “plastic” that biodegrades over 10 years into completely harmless substances.</text></item><item><author>SteveNuts</author><text>This is going to turn out to be this generation&amp;#x27;s lead paint + asbestos all in one, isn&amp;#x27;t it?</text></item></parent_chain></comment><story><title>Microplastics detected in the marine air from Norway to the high Arctic</title><url>https://scienceswitch.com/2023/08/18/microplastics-detected-in-the-marine-air-from-norway-to-the-high-arctic/</url></story>
<instructions>Your goal is to analyze the following comment and estimate how highly it will be upvoted by the Hacker News community.</instructions><comment><author>RF_Savage</author><text>Most humans to ever have lived have lived or currently live during the age of plastics.   
The population growth and demand for plastics has been massive.&lt;p&gt;Last 15 years saw as much plastics being manufactured as all the years before it.&lt;p&gt;And we are not yet even at peak plastic use, it is still increasing.</text><parent_chain><item><author>flangola7</author><text>&amp;gt; Except you could find an alternative for asbestos. I don’t think anyone could come up with a replacement for plastic that is… not plastic like.&lt;p&gt;Modern humans have walked the Earth for 300,000 years. We use plastics for 0.03% of our history and suddenly think we can&amp;#x27;t survive without them.&lt;p&gt;ಠ_ಠ</text></item><item><author>soligern</author><text>Except you could find an alternative for asbestos. I don’t think anyone could come up with a replacement for plastic that is… not plastic like.&lt;p&gt;Ideally someone would make “plastic” that biodegrades over 10 years into completely harmless substances.</text></item><item><author>SteveNuts</author><text>This is going to turn out to be this generation&amp;#x27;s lead paint + asbestos all in one, isn&amp;#x27;t it?</text></item></parent_chain></comment><story><title>Microplastics detected in the marine air from Norway to the high Arctic</title><url>https://scienceswitch.com/2023/08/18/microplastics-detected-in-the-marine-air-from-norway-to-the-high-arctic/</url></story>