Face Masks and the Environment: Are we saving ourselves to kill the earth?
Since the beginning of the pandemic people's lives have taken a drastic turn. As humans, we were scared, lost, and lost many love ones. As time past we started healing and feeling safe. However, the earth is not healing is dying.
Growing the number of single used masks and gloves found in our environment adds to an unprecedented pollution problem. These days it is common to see face masks little everywhere. There are the blue disposable ones tossed aside in a street gutter or caught up in the long grass at the local park around your community. Sadly plastic/trash is not the only thing polluting our planet anymore, face masks are not part of the pollution in the rivers and seas. All of the face masks that are being left in the streets and end up in the rivers and ocean are hurting and killing wildlife.
"The 1.56 billion face masks that will likely enter our ocean in 2020 are just the tip of the iceberg," says Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff, Director of Research for Oceans, and lead author of the report. "The 4,689 to 6,240 metric tonnes of face masks are just a small fraction of the estimated 8 to 12 million metric tonnes of plastic that enter our oceans each year."
Plastic consumption has been rising for years, increasing significantly as a result of the pandemic. The use of face masks has become a more common use for the spread of the virus everywhere in the world. Additionally, making face masks mandatory in public spaces, has become a large demand in the number of face masks. Which the percentage of plastics on the earth has also increased massively increasing pollution.
During the process of this project and thinking about what topic to choose, I decently wanted to base it on the environment. However, I started thinking about how the pandemic affected all of us but not just us the earth as well. The first month of the pandemic many people were scared and started buying boxes and boxes of face masks to the point that there was a shortage. At this point there was no stop, million of face mask are now on the beaches, in our communities, in our parks, everywhere we turn there is face masks on the floor. This is why I decided to choose this social issue because we are the ones who can stop it and do it right this time. This is an important issue for me too and the reason is that I live on this planet with everyone including the wildlife.
How it Affects Society?
"As of late May, 50 countries have made it compulsory to wear a face mask, and the who estimates a demand of 89 million medical masks per month while the pandemic persists".
The impact of climate change includes warmer temperatures, changes in precipitation, increases in the intensity of some extreme weather events, and rising sea levels. Especially the intensity of some whether more examples include heat waves, droughts, and floods. These impacts threaten our health by affecting the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the weather we experience. In addition, changes are likely to increase losses to property and crops, and costly disruptions to society.
How it Affects Animals and Plants?
Most plants and animals live in areas with very specific climate conditions, such as temperature and rainfall patterns, that enable them to thrive. Any changes in the climate of an area can affect the plants and animals living there, as well as the makeup of the entire ecosystem. Some species are already responding to a warmer climate by moving to cooler locations. for example, some North American animals and plants are moving farther north or to higher elevations to find suitable places to live. climate change also alters the line cycles of plants and animals. As temperatures get warmer, many plants are starting to grow and bloom earlier in the spring and survive longer into the fall. some animals are waking from hibernations sooner or migrating at different times, too.
What can we do about it?
Eco-friendly Masks:
Experts said reusable cloth face masks are a more sustainable option than single-use disposable masks, and some companies further incorporate recycled fabric into their masks, as well as organic materials. Face masks like TenTree meet the CDCs guidance in regards to reusable face coverings and are made with the environment in mind, according to the brands behind them.
The increase of plastic is adding another level to an already severe global waste issue and we must listen to health experts and act accordingly. unless you are in the front lines, such as health or essential worker, experts state that you can avoid a disposable mask and use a reusable one instead. Wearing a reusable mask, which can be made at home, may sound like a small thing compared to the big picture, but it is a very critical and positive action you can take for yourself, others, and the environment.
Let's protect people and the planet during this global pandemic by choosing a reusable mask whenever possible. We can do this together.
References
Allison, A. L., Ambrose-Dempster, E., Aparsi, T. D., Bawn, M., Arredondo, M. C., Chau, C., . . . Ward, J. M. (2021). The impact and effectiveness of the general public wearing masks to reduce the spread of pandemics in the UK: A multidisciplinary comparison of single-use masks versus reusable face masks. doi:10.14324/111.444/000031.v3
Haines, A. (2004). Health Effects of Climate Change. Jama, 291(1), 99. doi:10.1001/jama.291.1.99
Single-use face masks are hurting wildlife – here's what you can do about it. (2021, May 24). Retrieved from https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/single-use-face-masks-hurting-wildlife-what-you-can-do/
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