source: Weise, Elizabeth. “Plastic pollution sinks deeper into ocean.” USA Today, 10 June 2019, p. 02A. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A588392144/OVIC?u=ucinc_main&sid=OVIC&xid=77d3dfa3. Accessed 10 Mar. 2020.
Summary: The main argument in this article is plastic pollution is much worse in the ocean then scientists thought which is causing devastation to the world’s marine ecosystem. The point of this article is to bring awareness to the reader of the effect that plastic (more specifically single use plastic) has on the environment. The author covers the topic of micro-plastic found deep in the oceans which scientists were previously unaware of. She states that micro- plastics deep in the ocean are even worse then the island of plastic floating between California and Hawaii. These plastics were found to be in crabs and jellyfish which means it would be in almost all other marine life that feeds on them. The scientists found that 40% of the plastics came from single use plastic from food and beverage containers. We can do our part in helping this cause by not using single use plastic.
Assess: This is a useful source because it states the facts of what plastics have done to the environment and what the current state the oceans are in because of it. This article is similar to other sources in my bibliography but it mainly focuses on micro- plastic instead of all plastic pollution. This source seems very reliable because the author quotes many reliable scientific sources on the subject and she has nothing to gain personally from her article. The author’s goal is to educate the reader of the effects of plastic pollution and mentions a way we can help the situation which is by avoiding single- use plastic.
Reflect: This source is helpful to me because it states the facts of what plastics have done to the environment and what the current state the oceans are in because of it. It states that a large portion of these micro- plastics are from single use plastics which are a major part of civilization today. I can use this information and state that a solution is to cut single use plastics out of our daily lives and that every country should take major steps toward more economic packaging. This information is a sobering article toward the effects of plastic and how it can directly effect humans by effecting sea life which we use as a food source. The facts stated in this article would be great information to back my claims in my paper.
source: “Plastic alternatives could make marine pollution even worse, report finds.” CNN Wire, 12 Sept. 2019. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A599270209/OVIC?u=ucinc_main&sid=OVIC&xid=e8430ae9. Accessed 10 Mar. 2020.
summary: The main argument of this article is that biodegradable plastic alternatives are not good for the environment nor are they the answer to the problem of plastic pollution. The author’s point is that when people buy something marked as biodegradable, they can become complacent with their use and disposal of it which can affect marine life just as much as regular plastic can. People will tend to care less about littering biodegradable products but these products make it into the sea where it can have just as much of an effect as plastic. The author states that the solution to plastic pollution is not biodegradable products but reusable packaging and taking action against the use of plastic instead of finding an alternative products which can also cause damage.
assess: This is a useful source because it brings different solutions and opinions then one might think off right away for the solution to plastic waste. It is different then my other sources because it is against something that is supposed to help the cause. The information seems reliable because the author quotes many reliable sources and also has nothing to gain from her writing. The goal of this source is to get people to not think of biodegradable packaging as the solution to plastic pollution but to instead turn toward reusable/ refillable packaging.
reflect: This source was helpful to me because I can use it in informing people that there are right and wrong ways to go about the solution. I can say that not all solutions that appear helpful are always as good as they seem. The main topic of this article is surprising and I can use it to show that I did my research on solutions and don’t agree with all the solutions out there. This has changed my way in thinking about biodegradable alternatives to plastic because they are not such the great alternative I thought they were.
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