The plastic straw I used yesterday, today it came from fried fish [A scene from Hwang Deok-hyun’s Gifu].

A scene from the documentary *Plastic, Swallowing the Sea*. (News1DB) © News1

The government recently shifted its policy stance on plastic straws. It stepped back from its hardline policy of strengthening enforcement and imposing fines, and now aims to solve the plastic problem through social consensus.

The Ministry of Environment cited “high prices”, “high interest rates”, and “burden on small businesses” as reasons for this change, while environmental groups criticized it as a ‘policy retreat,’ mentioning President Yoon Seok-yeol’s presidential promise. Criticisms have also been raised about creating an embarrassing situation ahead of the ‘5th Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee of the UN Plastic Convention’ to be held in Busan next year. Some appear to be trying to politicize this issue.

The first thought that came to mind after the government’s announcement was the concern about the destruction of the ecosystem. The idea of reducing plastic is primarily ‘for humans,’ but on a macro level, it’s ‘for humans and all the ecosystems around humans.’

The problem of plastic waste flowing into the ocean, where human hands cannot reach, is significant. It’s regrettable that we haven’t yet agreed on how much and how to reduce the plastic we dispose of inland. This is why Craig Leeson’s marine documentary *Plastic Ocean* comes to mind.

*Plastic Ocean* traces the marine pollution and ecosystem disruption caused by plastic waste flowing into the sea. Dolphins died wailing with plastic bags stuck in their mouths, and around 200 pieces of plastic, including plastic bags, nets, and styrofoam, were found in the stomachs of sea birds that feed on fish. The sight of a sea lion suffering with a plastic straw stuck in its nostril broke people’s hearts worldwide.

This documentary also followed the process of the plastic discarded by humans returning to our dining tables. Over time, ocean plastic breaks down into smaller pieces due to sunlight and waves. According to a UN report, there are approximately 51 trillion microplastics in the ocean.

Microplastics have made their way up the food chain and onto the dining tables of humans, the ‘top predators.’ It was known that microplastics either pass through the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine and are excreted, or accumulate in internal organs. Last year, for the first time, microplastics were detected in human blood and breast milk, six years after the documentary was released.

In fact, microplastics are not just limited to seafood like grilled fish or fried food. According to a research paper published by a team from the University of Utah in the U.S. in 2020, microplastics exist in freshwater and the atmosphere as well, decomposed by rain and wind.

Hwang Deok-hyun, Social Policy Department reporter. /News1 © News1

The plastic problem, including microplastics, not only affects the environment but also directly and indirectly influences climate change. This is because microplastics can cause coral disease in coral reefs, damaging the marine ecosystem that absorbs carbon.

It is also known to accelerate the climate crisis by sticking to sea ice, absorbing solar heat and melting Arctic ice faster, and causing a ‘feedback phenomenon,’ where the ice loses its ability to reflect solar heat.

The main message of this documentary is to reduce rampant plastic usage to minimize harm to humans and the environment. This aligns with the ‘Plastic Convention’ (a legally binding international agreement to end plastic pollution) which is expected to be completed next year. The outline of the final Plastic Convention will be presented at the 5th Negotiating Committee to be held in Busan.

What kind of plastic management and reduction measures will the Korean government and its citizens present at the global event in Busan next year? The thought of the heartbreaking documentary brought a sense of despair.

ace@news1.kr