Margarida Marques: Plastic bags contribute to the emission of
greenhouse gases to the atmosphere
The statement is from Professor Margarida Marques, an expert on the environment, who gave the “Rolhinhas” a little her time to talk about the issue of plastic bags.
Jornal O Rolhinhas (JOR) – Why a tax on plastic bags?
Margarida Marques (MM) – This tax came to encourage the Portuguese to reduce the consumption of plastic bags.
JOR – What impacts does excessive consumption of plastic bags have on the climate and the environment?
MM – Plastic bags are made from petroleum (oil is a nonrenewable resource). We spend energy to explore, to extract it from underground, to transform plastic bags and to transport these bags to the supermarkets. This energy we spend impacts the supply of fossil fuels, so in this case, there is a transmission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. There is also the issue of waste produced with plastic bags, which has serious effects on the environment, namely oceans and even the energy expended to recycle when this is the case.
JOR – The tax is the best solution to reduce the consumption of plastic bags?
MM – With such a high tax on consumption, it will surely encourage the Portuguese to use less plastic bags and focus on reusing them. The awareness of the problem is also an important step, but more time-consuming.
Margarida Marques (MM) – This tax came to encourage the Portuguese to reduce the consumption of plastic bags.
JOR – What impacts does excessive consumption of plastic bags have on the climate and the environment?
MM – Plastic bags are made from petroleum (oil is a nonrenewable resource). We spend energy to explore, to extract it from underground, to transform plastic bags and to transport these bags to the supermarkets. This energy we spend impacts the supply of fossil fuels, so in this case, there is a transmission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. There is also the issue of waste produced with plastic bags, which has serious effects on the environment, namely oceans and even the energy expended to recycle when this is the case.
JOR – The tax is the best solution to reduce the consumption of plastic bags?
MM – With such a high tax on consumption, it will surely encourage the Portuguese to use less plastic bags and focus on reusing them. The awareness of the problem is also an important step, but more time-consuming.
Work by: Joana Sousa
8th Grade
Escola Básica António Alves de Amorim (Middle School), Lourosa
This work was carried out under the Lightning Training held on the 18th and the 20th of March 2015 at Escola Básica António Alves de Amorim (Middle School), in Lourosa. Students developed media content based on interviews with experts in various fields related to climate change and research on the subject.