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Climate change has been an issue since the early 1800s when greenhouse gases began warming the surface of the earth, according to NASA, and now the United Nations recently claimed that there are only 11 years to prevent irreversible damage to our planet. Since then, social movements and corporations have created alternatives to reduce the impact, one of them being the ban of plastic straws. But even though it is a step in the right direction, the ban of plastic straws alone is not a realistic solution for climate change caused by ocean pollution.
According to National Geographic, around 500 million plastic straws are used everyday in the U.S. alone. But plastic straws only make up 0.025% of the 8 million tons of plastic that washes up on beaches and oceans, while the rest comes from other items such as soda bottles and grocery bags.
Even so, plastic straws remain the main focus of environmental campaigns, according to National Geographic. Cities like Seattle completely banned plastic straws in the summer of 2018, while big franchises such as Starbucks plan to eliminate the use of plastic straws by 2020 and have already come up with an alternative way to serve their drinks.
Companies like FinalStraw have also emerged, selling a line of portable metal straws to satisfy straw users while also conserving the environment.
Although many alternatives were quick to rise and become part of people’s everyday lives, the ban plastic straws will not magically undo the impact of climate change. According to National Geographic, “a straw is something you can easily do without” but no matter what, a plastic bag will always be cheaper than a paper or cloth bag, and a plastic bottle will always be more convenient than a reusable water bottle.
Even though it may reduce the impact, banning plastic straws won’t magically fix the environmental problems facing the planet unless everyone commits to reducing the use of all plastic items.