Isn't there at least some possibility the former does help the bit with the problem? There's enough uninformed people out there. So while the straws itself aren't going to cut it, in general spreading awareness about plastic and waste in general might just get more people to be more careful.
Start putting up posters in the seafood departments of supermarkets showing a fishing net stuffed with 20 tons of rotting sea life that's still killing fish 15 years after it floated away from its boat
I'm not sure this would help more than other initiatives. Possibly, but still. In any case it is unfortunately quite non-realistic in this society.
I don't think so. These things eventually become public knowledge and the result may well be cynicism, apathy or things like climate change denial.
It's important to be honest, rational and effective or the only way to change anything will be scaremongering and bigotry.
If someone knows what fishing nets were made of before they were made of plastic, please chime in.
Most of the problem is that a billion pounds of fishing nets are left in the ocean every year, harming wildlife.
Seems to be working.
Maybe we can dump them in your backyard then.
The communication problem is not solved by being exacting. How many people can tell you exactly what’s going on with an algorithm - and how many people will stop their work to listen ?
On the other hand, put picture of kittens or unusual scenarios...
Mass communication isn’t only about accuracy.
Straws are the 7th most collected item during beach clean ups, after plastic bags and before plastic & foam containers.
All of this plastic discussion recently was due to China banning the importation of plastic from recycling systems in the West. People were made aware of how their plastic recycling was not really working out like they thought and actually was causing harm to other people. Banning plastic straws is like a little penance that we can do to get our psyches back in balance and close that small window that opened in our awareness onto the vast amount of consumption all of us do.
So, not even on this count are they relevant?
While I don't disagree with your sentiment, the article makes an important point:
Plastic straws are 0.03% of the Great Garbage Patch problem.
Plastic fishing nets are 46% of the GGP problem.
The people pushing the plastic straw bans aren't raising awareness of the big problem (lost and abandoned fishing nets), they're just spreading the notion that plastic is evil.
It's a lazy, self-indulgent kind of activism that is about making the person feel better, not solving a problem.
You want to "raise awareness" of the real problem? Start putting up posters in the seafood departments of supermarkets showing a fishing net stuffed with 20 tons of rotting sea life that's still killing fish 15 years after it floated away from its boat.