Plastics: As Dangerous as Climate Change, But With a Solution
*By Conor White*
*For more information, visit National Geographic's Planet or Plastic campaign at [http://natgeo.com/planetorplastic](http://natgeo.com/planetorplastic).*
Decades of plastic consumption and the resulting waste has created a global accumulation of non-biodegradable materials that is choking the planet's waterways, as serious a problem as climate change, according to National Geographic. There is, however, one clear difference: Earth has an answer to its plastic problem.
By using silicone or metal straws, reusable water bottles, and canvas grocery bags instead of those made from plastic, consumers can ease the accumulation of plastic waste that's clogging the world's oceans, said Jenna Jambeck, a National Geographic explorer and associate professor at the University of Georgia.
"These sound really sort of mundane, but they're not," Jambeck said in an interview Monday with Cheddar. "They actually do make a difference, and people can choose the planet over plastic."
Each year, more than 9 million tons of plastic waste ends up in the ocean. According to some estimates, that plastic could remain in marine environments for 450 years or longer. National Geographic is hoping to reduce that number with its new ["Planet or Plastic?"](http://natgeo.com/planetorplastic) initiative, encouraging consumers to stop using single-use plastics.
"It can be empowering for people to know that actually, their choices do matter," Jambeck said. "Through this research, if you show that those individual actions that we take every day, taken collectively, or thinking about them over time, they definitely matter."
In 2015, Jambeck and a group of scientists calculated the amount of plastic waste finding its way into the planet's oceans annually, which became the impetus for the National Geographic initiative. It is featured in the June issue of National Geographic.
The 'Planet or Plastic?' initiative includes [tips](https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/05/plastics-facts-infographics-ocean-pollution) for consumers to reduce their use of plastics and a [pledge](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/plasticpledge/?beta=true) to make a difference.
Jambeck said consumers should not to give up if they happen to forget their reusable water bottle or grocery bag.
"Be sort of forgiving with yourself, because every time that you remembered, you actually had an impact," she said.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/national-geographic-launches-planet-or-plastic-initiative).
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: President of The Pillow Bar breaks down how everyone can benefit from a pillow customized to their unique way of sleeping; CEO of H2Pro explains how to bring environmentally friendly hydrogen to scale; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'Suppressed Science.'
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Gardenuity CEO breaks down how gardening can improve your wellbeing; Augmedix CEO discusses how this technology is helping doctors fight burnout; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'Suppressed Science.'
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Atom Limbs CEO breaks down how the Atom Touch prosthetic is different from other prosthetics on the market; CEO & Chief Scientific Officer of MyMD explains how the MYMD-1 is on track to be the first FDA-approved drug to treat aging and age-related diseases; A look at Curiosity Stream's 'The Future of Warfare.'
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: SkilsVR CEO explains how virtual reality is being used to train frontline workers to handle difficult customers; Rubicon CEO breaks down how technology and sustainability will go hand in hand in the future; Cheddar gets a look at 'Our Infinite Universe.'
A UN report is warning that relying on seawalls and other engineering fixes will not be enough to keep communities safe from rising sea levels and climate change consequences. Dr. Steve Rose, a senior research economist at the Electric Power Research Institute, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
As gas prices surge amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, other nations could potentially transition faster to using clean energy than previously expected. Philip K. Verleger, a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center, joined Cheddar News to explain how this could be a possibility in the near future. "Part of the reason I think we have this invasion and the tantrum that's being thrown by Russia, terrible tantrum, is because the Russians were trying to slow down the transition," he said. "Ironically they speeded it up."
As Russia intensifies its war on Ukraine, President Biden announced a ban on oil imported from the aggressor nation. Critics of Russia have said this would be the best way to force Putin to pull back, but curbs on Russian oil exports are expected to send already skyrocketing oil and gas prices even higher, further impacting consumers, businesses, financial markets, and the global economy. Leslie Beyer, CEO of the Energy Workforce and Technology Council, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. "It's certainly going to increase pricing, but it is the right thing to do," she said. "The industry itself has already pulled out of the significant portion of its operations in Russia."
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Vision Marine Technologies CEO discusses how e-boats will play a role in the fight against the climate crisis; Lasso CEO breaks down how the design behind these compression socks can prevent injuries and improve performance; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'The Tombs Of Egypt.'
Vaccine maker Pfizer delayed its COVID shot for kids allegedly due to a lack of data on how it would perform against the omnicron variant, according to the Wall Street Journa. Peter Pitts, professor and founder of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest and a former FDA associate commissioner, joined Cheddar News Wrap to break down why the authorization can't be rushed. "Going forward, the FDA wants to look at data specifically against omicron, and it looks like that's going to be a three-shot regimen versus two, which was efficient against delta but not omicron because obviously omicron is more infectious," said Pitts.
Walker Ross, Assistant Professor of Sports Business Management at Florida Southern College, joins Business of Sports: The Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, where he says that actions Beijing and other Olympic host sites have been implementing to combat climate change has simply not been enough to offset their carbon footprint.
