**TL;DR Plastic bags should be banned because they are highly damaging to the environment, they pollute our oceans and are also a risk to human health**. Firstly, plastic bags are destroying the beauty of our environments. Plastic bags can travel for long distances due to the wind. They are also commonly found in lakes, rivers and the oceans. They are an eye sore and are ruining the appearance of the fantastic scenery and waters that surround us. The plastic bags are also very dangerous to the environment and contribute to climate change. They are made from non-renewable materials and therefore are forced to stay on our planet for a long time (as they do not degrade). Through the production of plastic bags, greenhouse gases are created and emitted into our environment which has negative consequences in regards to climate change. Research has also suggested that plastic bags have damaging consequences for the human body. A report from the Environmental Health Perspectives found that plastic bags ‘released hormones that mimicked oestrogen.’ This could have an effect on our health by disrupting how hormones behave in our bodies, which could cause problems such as fatigue, anxiety, weight issues and poor sleep. Plastic bags are also equally, if not more, dangerous to the wildlife and marine animals. Many animals mistake the bags for food, consume them and then it causes congestion in the digestive system or suffocation. The consequences are devastating, 35% of turtle deaths are caused by them consuming plastic. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation also reported that if we don’t slow down our plastic bag production, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. These are grim figures; plastic bags are destroying our wonderful wildlife. Plastic bags are also not necessary, there are so many other sustainable and effective alternatives. There are so many great re-usable shopping bags made which can be used time and time again. They drastically reduce the environmental problems that plastic bags create. There are also bags made from biodegradable material so they do not stay on our planet forever. With so many alternatives to plastic bags, there is no reason why they should still be used. Plastic bags are damaging our earth, our health and our animals. It is time that we ban them for good. WORKS CITED: ‘25+ powerful reasons why plastic bags should be banned immediately’, https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/reasons-why-plastic-bags-should-be-banned.php#:~:text=19.-,Bans%20should%20be%20adopted%20because%20they%20are%20greatly%20effective%20at,there%20would%20be%20fewer%20landfills. Landa, Jen, ‘The Dangers of BPA’ (7 May 2014), https://www.huffpost.com/entry/healthy-living-news_b_4919960?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHWGTL16un_UooflOaEKjSQdD8ZH53xwhTRAPR-GDoDB0y9izAbyx_G6FRtHlyQAF4Afs5XiGppj1JvDfQHbBy3NwjH17e1Z86Be0PqcqJo81nSBKqYJ-zudgNWEY8A-sAaXcMW57rqc9wlD5uibUVr_rtcWEPTfNkPWqVm-h5QQ#:~:text=Because%20BPA%20is%20a%20synthetic,causing%20suffering%20needlessly%20and%20unknowingly. Pena Amanda and Nims Brittany, ’12 Sustainable alternatives to plastic bags that are just as easy to use’ (1 March 2020), https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/sustainable-alternatives-to-plastic-bags_n_5a732a7de4b0bf6e6e225ee0

**TL;DR Compared to its alternatives, plastic bags are the most environmentally friendly option, in terms of global warming potential (GWP).** Paper, cotton, and other reusable bags use significantly more fossil fuels to produce and transport than plastic, as well as resources like land and water. Paper bags in particular, which are the most common alternative to plastic bags, require immense deforestation, produce double the amount of greenhouse gas emissions as plastic bags, 3x more solid waste (although it does biodegrade), and the chemicals used to produce paper are responsible for 70x more air pollution and 50x more water pollution than plastic bags. In order for alternative bags to be as environmentally efficient as a single use plastic bag, it must be reused several times (for cotton bags, 7,100 times), but they often don't last this long. We also often forget that plastic bags can be reused as well as if not more efficiently than paper bags, since they're less likely to rip. They can also be used as trashcan liners, dog poop bags, and more. The main drawback of plastic bags is, as you explained, they do not biodegrade as easily as paper bags and often end up littering our oceans and elsewhere. I agree that this is a major problem, but I think it's an easier one to fix than those posed by alternative bags (CO2 emissions in particular). So, while something needs to be done to reduce the plastic use and waste, banning plastic bags would likely only lead to people using more paper bags, which has even worse environmental effects. https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2020/04/30/plastic-paper-cotton-bags/

Policies like this just continue to push the blame of climate change onto the consumer. 100 companies contribute 71% of all waste and emissions. We should focus on things that would stop those companies instead

Completely pointless argument made by people who want to seem like they give a shit about the environment but don't want to do anything about it. If politicians who really cared about the environment, they'd invest heavily in nuclear power and electric cars as well as electrify factories.