[HN Gopher] Canada declares plastics toxic, paving the way for r...
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Canada declares plastics toxic, paving the way for restrictions
Author : robin_reala
Score : 60 points
Date : 2021-05-21 22:31 UTC (28 minutes ago)
(HTM) web link (www.motherjones.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.motherjones.com)
| dataflow wrote:
| It's such a pleasant surprise to me how effectively and quickly
| people have become concerned about this issue. The recent WWF
| report came out less than 2 years ago [1]. Microplastics were
| obviously known for a long time, but that's when conversations
| about microplastics re-ignited. And now we see an entire country
| declaring plastics toxic and restricting them. If you'd asked me
| an hour ago, I'd have predicted it'd take at least another decade
| before concern about this would spread widely enough to prompt a
| national policy shift. Great to see that raising public awareness
| can actually do something!
|
| [1] https://wwf.panda.org/?348371/Could-you-be-eating-a-
| credit-c...
| aussieguy1234 wrote:
| Many people might think something as massive as the ocean is
| basically unlimited and that there's no way us humans could screw
| it up.
|
| Not true. Take a sample of seawater from almost anywhere right
| now and you'll find microplastics. Something like 80% of the
| world's fish stocks are also gone from overfishing.
| maxqin1 wrote:
| The focus here is on the environment. However, plastic is linked
| to many health issues as well.
| hirundo wrote:
| True. Like dihydrogen monoxide. But a cost/benefit analysis is
| appropriate. These dangerous chemicals have significant
| benefits too.
| gogopuppygogo wrote:
| That penn and teller episode with the petition for removing
| dihydrogen monoxide from schools was fantastic.
|
| https://youtu.be/zVxypRWZODQ
| version_five wrote:
| The canadian government is big into the business of making these
| kind of "declarations" these days, so our PM can demonstrate to
| everyone how progressive he is.
|
| Although I don't think Mother Jones is a legitimate news source,
| so would be careful about taking anything in the article at face
| value.
| bsder wrote:
| > Although I don't think Mother Jones is a legitimate news
| source
|
| I'm calling this out.
|
| Does Mother Jones have an _agenda_? Absolutely.
|
| However, unlike some "news" sources, their reporting of _actual
| facts_ is generally correct.
| Pfhreak wrote:
| Most progressive folks I know are pretty disillusioned with the
| Canadian PM for being a Liberal and not at all a Leftist. His
| treatment of indigenous people in particular is something
| they've repeatedly pointed out as glaringly terrible.
| jimbob45 wrote:
| Why do you find Mother Jones to be an illegitimate news source?
| 908B64B197 wrote:
| > so our PM can demonstrate to everyone how progressive he is.
|
| Maybe he should focus on providing vaccines instead (Canada's
| vaccination rate sits at barely 4% while the US is at 38%) [0]
| and stop pushing pipelines to export some of the most
| environmentally destructive oil on the planet [1].
|
| [0] https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-
| vaccina...
|
| [1] https://news.yahoo.com/trudeau-stresses-disappointment-
| keyst...
| Pfhreak wrote:
| Great. Regulation and reduction of plastic production is long
| overdue.
|
| There are some places where it makes sense to use plastic, but
| we're far, far overproducing the stuff because it's convenient.
|
| It's fantastically difficult to recycle in practice, burning it
| produces toxic smoke and carbon emissions, and putting it into
| the waste stream results in a bunch of it getting dropped on the
| sides of roadways.
| [deleted]
| bluenose69 wrote:
| Related: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1897203267988 holds an
| interview on the topic by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
| karaterobot wrote:
| If there are restrictions, I hope they target major microplastic
| sources like tires and textiles, rather than easily scapegoated
| but very minor sources, like plastic bags and drinking straws.
| Based on precedent, I am not holding my breath, but I hope so.
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