Esme McGuire

Reuters

Pollution is a problem in many countries, destroying the environment and causing health issues to humans and animals alike. It is also an extra hard blow to less economically developed countries, or LPEDC’s, who already have many other problems on top of that. But some countries have managed to break free and are starting to try and fix the problem, even creating new ideas along the way. For example, Kenya has started the process of banning the manufacturing and importing of plastic bags, as well as the use of them in general. The burning of plastic, which is way to manage the waste in dumps, releases toxic gases into the air, which are very harmful to humans. It can cause diseases like chronic bronchitis and asthma.  Indonesia is responsible for a large amount of pollution, especially in the ocean. They produce the second most amount of pollution in the ocean, after China. In 2010, the country produced 3.2 million tons of plastic, and about 1.29 tons of that ended up  in the ocean. Since, Indonesia has put up laws to reduce the amount of pollution. They declared that by 2018 they would be “plastic bag free,” but the process has been slow, so their goals were not met when the deadline came. They have also started making plastic bags out of starch, so that they will decompose much faster and will not harm sea creatures if they end up in the ocean.  Less economically developed countries have been trying hard to decrease the amount of pollution they are producing, to try and preserve the environment and keep their people safer, but is it enough?