LETTERS: A recent News Straits Times op-ed piece titled "Protect the environment or pay the price" reminded me of a scene from Aquaman. In the movie, Prince Orm of Atlantis vows vengeance against humans for polluting the Atlantian's ocean habitat.
He unleashed a tsunami that dumps tonnes of trash from the sea onto the shore.
It is a reminder of the catastrophe that is likely to happen in future as man is solely responsible for it due to his insatiable greed.
We are using more plastics than before. A study published in April by researchers from Cochin University of Science and Technology and Pondicherry University found that there were more than 200 particles of microplastics in every 100g of street dust samples collected from 16 localities in Chennai, India.
Microplastics are minute broken down or disintegrated plastic particles of less than 5 mm, a potential health hazard.
Inhaling or ingesting them will result in them bioaccumulating in a person's body, resulting in a wide range of health effects.
Last year, Ma Z.F. and his team of researchers from Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu's Microplastic Research Interest Group raised their concerns about microplastics in the country.
They reported that microplastics could likely be widespread in drinking water and food products, especially seafood.
Considering the surplus consumption of single-use plastics in Malaysia, the country could soon face a hazardous environmental situation like that in Chennai if people fail to reduce their use of single-use plastics.
In 2018, the country released the Roadmap to Zero Single-use Plastics 2018-2030. However, it is the people's responsibility to practise it by moving away from using single-use plastics.
It will create a sustainable ecosystem that is cleaner and healthier for our children. We must teach our children a basic understanding of the environment much earlier in their life.
Professor Sultan Ahmed Ismail, a renowned soil biologist and scientist from India, recommended that the teaching should include the art of living with nature.
He argued that the concept of teaching soil as an abiotic factor (non-living thing) in the science classes at schools is flawed.
He substantiates the argument by saying: "if the soil has no life, then how does it differentiate between what is to be decayed and germinated?" The soil "germinates" a seed, whereas it "decomposes" the dead animal or plant when buried in it.
Therefore, Ismail invariably sees "life" in soil.
The indiscriminate use of plastics is detrimental to the "soul of the soil and the Earth". Quoting the words of an old sage: "Our Earth, our only home to thrive. Our planet, our only hope to be alive."
Dr Gokul Shankar Sabesan
Senior associate professor and deputy dean of Student Affairs, AIMST University
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times