Here is my working thesis statement: It is hard to imagine that something that plays such a major role in our lives and making it so convenient can be extremely destructive; however, the continued use of disposable plastic could ruin the world’s oceans and cause irreversible damage to the environment if the proper measures are not taken by governments and the people.
The reason my claim is true is because scientists have analyzed the ocean and found “clouds” of micro plastic that is sickening the environment and this is besides the 5 huge islands of whole trash in the oceans trapping wildlife and leaking toxins. A huge portion of these plastics are single use plastic.
The reason my claim is true is because countries especially Japan and America keep producing enormous amounts of plastics which are used once and then thrown away which overwhelm the waste management systems. Only a small portion of plastics are recycled with the majority either going to a landfill or floating in the ocean.
The reason my claim is true is because a lot of the systems set in place to help with this crisis are faulty and no one is trying to fix them. Only 10% of plastic is recycled, biodegradable alternatives could lead to more pollution, and banning plastic bags just leads people to buy bigger thicker plastic garbage bags to replace them.
The reason my claim is true is because plastics take thousands of years to break down into micro plastic and even if we completely stop the production of disposable plastics today, it would still take many years to undo all the damage it has caused to the oceans.
The reason my claim is true is because plastic itself is not bad when used in the right way but it is the overproduction of single-use disposable things like water bottles, food packaging, grocery bags, and utensils that fill up landfills and make their way into the oceans.
Claim: It is hard to imagine that something that plays such a major role in our lives and making it so convenient can be extremely destructive; however, the continued use of disposable plastic could ruin the world’s oceans and cause irreversible damage to the environment if the proper measures are not taken by governments and the people.
Reason 1: Micro-plastics and islands of trash in the ocean
Reason 2: Overproduction leading to overflow of landfills and minimal recycling
Reason 3: Systems that try to help are greatly flawed and could be improved
Reason 4: Plastics last for thousands of years
Reason 5: Plastic is used in the production of more and more items leading to pollution
The writer named Leslie Kaufman takes the position on our shared topic-issue that single-use plastic is necessary for public hygiene and medical equipment. This is the counter-argument to my position.
If I were on a debate stage and the writer Leslie Kaufman said I was wrong and then explained her counter-argument to my claim, I would reply with the fact that the over use of disposable plastic causes the build up of plastic in the environment and could cause immense harm to humans and animals in the future. I could also say that systems should be put in place to sterilize medical equipment so that they can be reused as my rebuttal.
Many of you are asking, ‘so what? why should I care?’. Well, here’s why this is important. If we focus on the future, then it’s possible we can come up with a plan to deal with plastic pollution. This plan would involve the use of reusable items with the elimination of disposable plastic, and would be better than what is happening now, which is the gradual destruction of our oceans and sea life.
Claim: It is hard to imagine that something that plays such a major role in our lives and making it so convenient can be extremely destructive; however, the continued use of disposable plastic could ruin the world’s oceans and cause irreversible damage to the environment if the proper measures are not taken by governments and the people.
Reason 1: Micro-plastics and islands of trash in the ocean
Reason 2: Overproduction leading to overflow of landfills and minimal recycling
Reason 3: Systems that try to help are greatly flawed and could be improved
Reason 4: Plastics last for thousands of years
Reason 5: Plastic is used in the production of more and more items leading to pollution
Counter-argument: Plastics improve the public health and the medical systems.
Rebuttal: While that is true, the effects of plastic pollution in the future could way out-weigh the benefits it gives us now. There are systems that could be put in place that would decrease pollution while we still get we benefits of plastic.
Conclusion: The future is in danger from our misuse of disposable plastic so the world should take steps like turning to reusable options before too much irreversible damage is done.
writing 