Pollution and environmental destruction are extremely crucial issues the human race needs to deal with. We have been destroying our terrestrial environment for decades, and have done untold damage to the ecosystems we inhabit.
Discarded plastic is probably one of the biggest problems we will have to deal with, as we seek to heal the planet and reverse the extensive damage we've done to the natural world.
I am pretty optimistic that any problems create by humans can also be solved by humans with sufficient willpower & technological innovation. Dealing with plastic pollution falls under thatcategory, despite the vastness of the problem.
Scientists have discovered bacteria that consume plastic, and have now developed synthetic biological mechanisms to more quickly break down plastics.
The Guardian:
New Super-enzyme Eats Plastic Bottles Six Times Faster
This is a very promising approach to getting the cleanup of plastics under control. This, in addition, to biodegradable packaging/products that would be otherwise made of plastic, will go a long way toward fixing the damage our species has inflicted on the Earth. We will one day look back on our mindless behavior in disgust, much like we now think about dumping raw sewage into rivers. The good news is that we will one day collectively reach that point.
