Professor Arukwe Creates Awareness on Dangers of Plastic Waste

A Professor at the Department of Biology, at Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Prof. Augustine Arukwe has raised awareness of the dangers of plastic waste to humans, the environment, and aquatic lives.

He said plastics would be a huge problem to battle with in the next century, if the menace is not curbed.

Speaking at the Innovative Science (INNO-SCI) seminar in Accra on Friday, Prof. Arukwe called for a collective responsibility and attitudinal change in curbing the challenges that plastics pose to Ghana and the world as a whole environmentally and health wise.

“We have a moral responsibility to preserve the environment for ourselves and our children’s children and must see the need in finding solutions to the dangers plastics pose to the environment.

It is not enough to say that the plastic menace does not concern me as an individual, because they end up on our food table and affect our health eventually,” he said.

A stranded whale, in January last year, was reported to have been found dead on the Norwegian coast with a stomach full of plastics.

According to reports, scientists found more than 30 bags and other plastic wastes inside the whale’s stomach.

The news became a wakeup call for many people around the globe.

However, based on Prof. Arukwe’s research, he has encouraged Ghanaians to embark on behavioral change patterns which would influence them to reduce the pollution of plastic to the ocean and the environment as a whole to the benefit of the future generation.

On her part, Eunice Hammond-Morklid, the CEO of INN-SCI explained that her organization is determined to use the project to collaborate with industry players to find solutions to solve problems pertaining plastics.

“Each and every one of us is responsible for correcting this wrong. Plastic is a major environmental problem, and it is crucial that we find a solution. We now need to use the knowledge acquired on plastics, its effects on the environment and human health to make individual changes that would contribute immensely to making our environment safe again,” she added.

Background

The INNO-SCI Seminar, was aimed at creating awareness on plastics.

It brought together industry players to discuss measures in solving the issues concerning plastics.

The seminar focused on full environmental relevance of plastic in the transport of contaminants to living organisms to the natural environment.

The project is an initiative of INNO-SCI, a company which provides innovative, science, technological and entrepreneurial driven educational programmes.

By: Emmanuel Yeboah Britwum