On plastic ban - Parag Varma ⚫🔵⚫

[GOLI SODA]

Today, all the solutions to environmental degradation are already technologically feasible and we have the means to implement them on a global scale as well as the knowledge of what will happen if we don’t. 

But we are being held back not because solutions don’t exist or money is not available, but because current social relations will not allow for them. 

Is it technologically difficult to put a complete ban on plastic or polymer production itself. No, it isn't because biodegradable materials can be produced easily. If there will be no production of plastic, the question of littering plastic itself will not arise. For doing that, government has to stop the production by polymers producers and the other capitalists from using plastic in their products. Ambani is the highest producer of polymers today. Subsequent governments have only made better conditions for his polymer business. All FDIs that are coming to India and other investments should have a compulsory clause of doing business without using any plastic usage. But it has never happened. Can government put a ban on Amazon's or IKEA products which have huge plastics in them? Modi was supposed to ban single use plastic on 2nd October but he didn't do because capitalists business will also get hampered by that. By his whole mission against single use plastic, he has made people realise that it is they who are responsible and they can only make change by changing themselves. There is no denial that people need to change their social behaviour and as a society we lack discipline of handling even our individual wastes. But is it a solution to the huge challenge of environmental degradation ?

Rather than questioning the business that produces plastics and the capitalist system that nurtures the environmentally harmful methods and products for obtaining profits, the establishment is keen on restricting people to 'individualistic incremental reforms'. Incremental efforts made by each individual to segregate the plastic, curb the use of single use plastic in their daily lives, throw the plastic at defined locations are some steps which are marketed as complete solutions towards environment degradation. In totality, they don't even add .1 percentage to the solution of environmental degradation. On one side these are feel good mechanism and they nurture the idealistic thought of "small reforms will bring radical change", they also push the responsibility on individuals and the establishment is not questioned at all. Establishment becomes the preacher in such individualistic reformist solutions. These reforms fall in line with the reforms propagated by capitalist themselves. For ex Ambani who produces the highest amount of polymers also sets up various recycling initiatives, it also gives funds to start ups who are working in some area of waste management. 

Individualistic reforming acts or corporate supported reforming acts, both are trying to make this environmental degradation less Visible to people. The less the visibility, the more is its sustainability. The truth is "Small reforms infact deny Radical changes".Radical change in the capitalist structure of the society where production is not done for profit motive at the cost of environment and people is the only complete answer to the problem of environmental degradation. All other incremental individualistic reforms are the ways to make 'degradation' more and more sustainable. If 'degradation' is sustainable then 'profit' is also sustainable.

- Parag Varma