The hidden costs of plastic pollution differ between developed and developing countries. In developing countries, the costs are primarily social, environmental, and health-related, while in developed countries, economic costs are more significant. Policies to address these disparities should focus on increasing public awareness, implementing sustainable waste management practices, incentivizing companies to reduce plastic use and improve recycling rates, and promoting international cooperation to address the global issue of plastic pollution.
Plastic pollution has significant hidden costs for both developed and developing countries, but the nature and magnitude of these costs can differ.
In developed countries, the primary hidden costs of plastic pollution are related to waste management. As plastic waste accumulates, it requires expensive and energy-intensive efforts to collect, sort, and dispose of it. Additionally, plastic pollution can damage infrastructure, such as clogging pipes, leading to expensive repairs. Plastic pollution also affects tourism, which can result in a loss of revenue for businesses that rely on tourist activity.
In developing countries, the hidden costs of plastic pollution are often more severe due to inadequate waste management infrastructure and less developed economies. For example, plastic pollution can lead to health problems such as the spread of disease from contaminated water sources or exposure to toxic chemicals released by decomposing plastics. Additionally, plastic pollution can affect agriculture, fisheries, and other primary industries, which can result in economic losses.
Moreover, the tourism industry in developing countries may also suffer due to plastic pollution as it can negatively impact the natural beauty of beaches and other attractions. Finally, plastic pollution exacerbates the effects of natural disasters in developing countries, making recovery efforts more difficult and expensive.
Overall, while plastic pollution poses significant hidden costs for both developed and developing countries, the nature and severity of these costs can differ depending on the level of development, infrastructure, and economic systems.
One needs to be careful when delineating the hidden cost. To explain- yes, there is a minor difference in measurable impact to the country dependent on the coastal/near coastal/and river systems present in the country. For example, a land locked country like Switzerland will not have the hidden costs that a country with a large coastal economy footprint. For example, Portugal.
While this is an obvious metric, delving deeper into 'hidden' costs, there is a baseline metric that every creature on the planet will pay. For example, a whale ingests plastics that will kill it directly by impacting the GI tract. At the same time, xplankton are being decimated by micro and nano plastics- which in turn will reduce the whales life and survivability. Additionally, other animals in the ecosystem are affected, which have a sympathetic effect on the whale. Humans are the exact same. Directly affected, and indirectly affected (those hidden costs). Fisheries are disappearing in the ocean, providing less protein for human consumption. As the quality and quantity of the human diet is directly affected, there is a reduced life quality and quantity to every human, no matter what country. So, when addressing hidden costs, it isnt so much about the commercial costs that are hidden, as it is the life quality and quantity that is being reduced across the globe. Somewhat 'hidden,' this impacts commerce by reducing the available labor hours and productivity; the quality of those labor hours, illness frequency, working life reduction, child birth rates, child maturation rates, etc. These human (and other creatures) hidden costs far outweigh the commercial hidden cost, and should be a cost calculated per person as a base metric.
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