Term 3:

Environmental Issues

Link for the original article:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/08/20/africa.plastic.reut/index.html?iref=newssearch

Review:
The article is mainly a factual depiction of the amount of garbage in Africa because of plastic bags. Most of us view Africa as a quaint continent, for wildlife and starvation, but never do we imagine that the serene savannahs of Africa could be littered with millions and millions of plastic bags.
Unfortunately, this is a prevalent problem not only in Africa, but all over the world, especially the developing continents such as Asia and South America.
Plastic bags are not only harmful for the environment; they also spoil the beauty of a location. They are just carelessly strewn all over the place, and are very harmful to the environment, especially the animals that eat and digest them. Not only to the flora and fauna, these plastic bags are also damaging to our daily lives, as they block drains and create puddles of stagnant water. The article describes many consequences of this litter, and I believe that it is perfectly valid and true.
However, the article also describes a lot about the precautions and steps that are being implemented Africa, mostly for the better. Quite a few countries are turning over a new leaf and implementing measures to prevent further litter and take care of the litter hitherto. Some countries have banned plastic bags, while some have implemented thickness measures, and so o. but this had led to a question: which is the best method?
Needless to say, manufacturers are not very happy with these measures. It is stated in the article that one of the manufacturers is of the opinion that there should be a change not in the policies of the government, but in the minds of the people. He says that this could be achieved by educating the people about recycling and rational use. I feel that the African countries should indeed consider this as a long-term aim, but to curb the mess being created by plastic bags, such education will not work, and there need to be strict, hard measures.
According to article, someone else has suggested that just placing bins around would solve the problem, giving the example of Nairobi. But while this method could have worked for Nairobi, it is not necessary that it would work everywhere else. And also, the problem of garbage explosion due to plastic bags will not be addressed at all.
I feel that the steps being taken by the African countries’ government are quite correct and they can certainly help reduce the impact of the plastic litter, especially are the steps are being implemented in time. The countries are on the right track, and will surely end this problem someday, though there is surely a very long way to go.