Recently I
have seen this infographic circulating on social media. While it may serve its
purpose to inform and call to action, it is also misleading. The Philippines
does throw an alarming volume of plastic into rivers and seas but by no means
the biggest plastic polluter to the world's waters.
Ocean
Conservancy, the NGO that published the 2015 report that purportedly found five
Asian countries topping the list of the world's worst plastic polluters, has
since issued a retraction and apology. Critics point out that the report was a case of "waste colonialism", which creates a false narrative that
puts more blame on end user populations in developing countries as mainly
responsible for the extent of plastic pollution in the world, while downplaying
the overproduction of plastic and exportation of plastic wastes by big business
from developed countries.
Here's a
link: https://www.theguardian.com/.../ocean-conservancy-ngo...
Nevertheless,
the battle to stem plastic pollution continues, beginning with personal
lifestyle changes, corporate social and ecological accountability, and public
policy reforms especially in banning single use plastics and curbing plastic
dependence with more sustainable practices and alternatives.
Here's a
more accurate infographic.
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