B) With all the wealth made by the modern day robin hoods, many Americans started to change their view on prohibition, as they saw how much the economy and society suffered without the legalization of alcohol. III Main Point 2 The Great Depression was solitified with the decrease of income from the taxation of alcohol. The country relies on every tax it creates and once the country starts to reduce taxes, the economy faces a domino effect financially. • The beginning of the Great Depression In the late 1920’s caused a huge change in American opinion about Prohibition. • The Economy’s issues had crippled the country financially; legalizing Alcohol could provide some relief as a taxable product as it once was.
For over a century now plastic has made our lives safer, from improving the strength of our cars, to the development of new and improved medical devices. However, the degradation of these plastic products is a long process when simply dumped into landfills with general trash, or in other cases, dumped into our precious oceans. In order to maintain our consumption of plastic, save money, and protect our environment, there must be a more efficient system set up for recycling the majority of plastics consumed around the world. Plastics are quite possibly the most important material used throughout our daily lives, and without it we could not accomplish much of what we do every day. The development of plastics can be credited for the widespread commercialization of electronics over the past century.
Running head: Plastic Oceans 1 Plastic Oceans Ben Smith Oakland University PLASTIC OCEANS 2 Abstract The amount of plastic debris is a growing trend that is becoming increasingly more dangerous by the day. This plastic pollutes and kills innocent animals, and is and at the same time is broken down into tiny inconceivable amounts by photodegradation that are almost impossible to collect. 80% of this plastic comes from land, a source that we most likely can control, with the exception of weather and natural disasters. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is proof that plastic pollution is a growing epidemic and the ocean just continues to resurface the same plastic because of the currents in the gyres. This process begins polluting the ecosystem and harming the food chain from the toxins plastic absorbs and releases.
Drowning in Plastic It’s hard to imagine life without plastic. It’s everywhere: covering our food, holding our purchases, protecting our loved ones, saving patients in hospitals and floating along our waterways and oceans. The thought of living in a world surrounded by toxic chemicals and pollution is a thought which many would rather not think about. Plastics have revolutionised the world in which we live, but with dire consequences. The production of these toxic-filled substances continues to lead the human race on a path of natural destruction; with thousands of animal sea-life dying annually from plastic consumption.
With less space each year for landfills and rubbish tips, the process of disposing of rubbish which is not recycled is increasingly being moved overseas to countries like China. Although this may be seen as creating jobs, it is having a major effect on people’s health and the environment. Beijing’s concentration of PM 2.5 particles – those small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream are dramatically rising. The World Health Organization recommends a safe level of 25 micrograms per cubic metre, earlier this year this level rose to 505 micrograms”. (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/25/china-toxic-air-pollution-nuclear-winter-scientists Jonathan Kaiman, The Guardian,
In fact, bottled water can cost up to 10,000 times more per gallon than tap water. Paying for something that we can get for free doesn’t make any sense at all. And also, the plastic pollution from the usage of plastic water bottles is a serious problem. The Container Recycling Institute stated that this year, more than 25 billion plastic water bottles will be sold in the United States alone and more than 80 percent of those will end up being disposed of rather than being recycled. Another point is that bottled water is no healthier than tap water.
Major Problems/Themes The two major problems/themes in this case study are the following: • Environmental issue – formaldehyde In the 1980s, Danish authorities passed regulations to define limits for formaldehyde emissions permissible in building products. IKEA products emitted more formaldehyde than was allowed by legislation and due to the publicity of the issue, its sales dropped 20% in Denmark. IKEA passed on stringent requirements regarding formaldehyde emissions to its suppliers and found ways to reduce formaldehyde off-gassing in its products through collaborations with companies. However, 10 years later, the formaldehyde problem returned in the lacquer of their best-selling bookcase series, Billy. Substantial sales and goodwill losses on global level gave IKEA a $6-$7 million loss.
BP has been criticized and put under pressure by critics regarding corporate social responsibility, as Mother Jones Magazine listed BP as one of ten worst corporations in 2001 regarding environmental and human rights issues (Mokhiber & Weissman, 2001). Such accidents cost BP millions of dollars and corporate’s image distortion. For example, in 1999 BP paid approximately $22 million as charges in relation to illegal dumping of hazardous waste in Alaska (EPA, 1999). BP’s ‘Green’ image is supported in its corporate strategy as they follow proved technologies to enhance productivity with less impact on environment. According to BP’s 2006 annual review, 1.2 million tonnes of greenhouse gas reductions have been delivered in a number of projects during 2006.
An animal could also be forced to relocate from its current home because of an excess of trash that restrain the daily activities needed to survive. The planet is the one body that cannot be replaced when it comes to being impacted by this issue. The bags that are thrown out and end up in landfills and sit for many hundred years since they are not easily broken down by our environment. A report done by the Moore Recycling Associates showed that an estimated 812,010,000 pounds of used plastics (plastic bags also) were recovered during 2006 and 2005. (Ian 1).
By the 1990s, the sheer weight of evidence had forced major tobacco companies to admit that their products are both harmful and addictive. Many governments have substantially increased taxes on tobacco in order to discourage smoking, and often to alleviate the economic costs of smoking-related illness. However, while smoking has declined amongst some groups, it has increased amongst others - particularly young women. Meanwhile restrictions on the industry in the developed world have seen a new emphasis on developing nations, and new markets. Key questions for this debate are: Is it the proper role of government to legislate to protect citizens from the harmful effects of their own lifestyle decisions?