LETTER | Plastic is everywhere. It can be found in the oceans, forests and landfills. Our world has been massively polluted by plastic bags. And this over usage of plastic bags is actually killing our Earth silently.

A massive island of garbage floating in the Pacific Ocean has causes approximately 100,000 marine animals to die each year from suffocation on or by ingesting bags.

Shockingly, the usage of plastic bags could also contribute to the build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This is because plastic contributes to global warming as they emit the greenhouse gases such as methane and ethylene when they are exposed to sunlight and degrade but once initiated, these emissions continue even in the dark.

Scientists claim that polyethene, the substance used in shopping bags, was found to be the most prolific emitter of both gases. Greenhouse gases directly influence climate change, affecting sea levels and global temperatures along with the ecosystem's health on land and in the ocean.

They also trigger storms which increase flooding, droughts and erosion. In addition to that, the plastic industry creates billions of tonnes of carbon pollution every year, which is the key cause of climate change.

For starters, an estimated 12 million barrels of oil are used to manufacture the 30 million plastic bags each year. Then there's the transportation, manufacturing and disposal of the plastic to account for.

For instance, the production, transportation and consumption of plastic water bottles produce 46 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. Making the world become hotter and drier each year.

Plastic pollution is a huge worldwide problem. The reasons plastic became so popular in our society are because they are durable, cheap to make and long-lasting. The low cost of plastic has meant that its production has rapidly increased since the 1940s. However, every single piece of plastic ever made still exists on the planet today and will likely exist for the next 400 years.

For example, in the US, 90 percent of 60 million water bottles thrown away each day will end up in landfills and take more than 1,000 years to break down. Plastic bags, plastic bottles and straws may give a temporary convenience for users but in the long run, they could pose possible threats to Earth and us.

Plastic pollution is an issue that demands worldwide cooperation, similar to climate change, as they are two sides of the same coin. However, as a consumer, we should think twice before using single-use plastic items.

We should treat plastic as a valuable resource rather than something that is used once and thrown away. We should limit the usage of plastics to certain purposes such as in medicine and hospitals where plastic can be lifesaving in terms of preventing contamination and disease.

This is the time for Malaysia to step in and beat plastic pollution aggressively. Plastic has been polluting our rivers and oceans for many years and has contaminated our water supply.

Let's beat plastic pollution to save our water resources.

The writer is attached to Forum Air Malaysia.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.