PARAGRAPH,WORDS AND MEANINGS

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TOPIC – Beating plastic pollutionThe Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules notified by the Centre on August 12 acknowledge the gravity of pollution caused by plastic articles of everyday use, particularly those that have no utility beyond a few minutes or hours. Under the new rules, the manufacture, sale and use of some single-use goods made with plastic, polystyrene, and expanded polystyrene, such as ear buds, plates, cups, glasses, cutlery, wrapping and packing films, are prohibited from July 1 next year, while others such as carry bags must be at least 75 microns thick from September 30, 2021, and 120 microns from December 31 next year, compared to 50 microns at present. The decisions follow recommendations made by an expert group constituted by the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals two years ago. In 2018, India won praise globally for asserting on World Environment Day that it would eliminate all single- use plastic by 2022, a theme that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stressed more than once. Yet, policy coherence to achieve the goal has been lacking. The Central Pollution Control Board has reported that 22 States have, in the past, announced a ban on single-use plastic, but this has had little impact on the crisis of waste choking wetlands and waterways and being transported to the oceans to turn into micro plastic. At about 34 lakh tones generated in 2019-20, India has a staggering annual volume of plastic waste, of which only about 60% is recycled. What is more, a recent study of the top 100 global producers of polymers that culminate in plastic waste found six of them based in India. It is unsurprising, therefore, that in spite of the staggering problem; policymakers have been treading on eggshells. The international view is changing, however, and support for a UN Plastic Treaty is growing; the majority of G7 countries too are supportive of cleaning up the oceans through a charter in the interests of human wellbeing and environmental integrity. India’s policies on environmental regulation are discordant, lofty on intent but feeble on outcomes, and plastic waste is no different. State governments have felt no compulsion to replace municipal contracts, where companies are paid for haulage of mixed waste, with terms that require segregation and accounting of materials. Considerable amounts of plastic waste cannot be recycled because of lack of segregation, leading to incineration, while mixing newer types of compostable plastic will confound the problem. Patchy regulation has led to prohibited plastic moving across State borders. Now that the Centre has adopted a broad ban, further pollution must end. Micro plastic is already found in the food chain, and governments must act responsibly to stop the scourge.

MEANINGS AND WORDS

Asserting (adjective) – Relating to the use of or having the nature of a declaration

Synonyms – Alleging, averring, asseverate, contend, swan

Antonyms – Forbidding, refuting, abdicating, cranky, inquisitive

 

Coherence (noun) – Logical and orderly and consistent relation of parts

Synonyms – Adhesion, clinging, entirety, lucidity, antithesis

Antonyms – Disjunction, dissonance, misalignment, abstruseness, blurriness

 

Culminate (verb) – Reach the highest or most decisive point

Synonyms – Consummate, crest, halt, climaxed, accomplish

Antonyms – Commence, embark, conception, crownless, flummox

 

Discordant (noun) – Opposing

Synonyms – Cacophonous, strident, raucous, discrepant, shrill

Antonyms – Pacifist, euphonious, mellifluous, amicable, affable

 

Feeble (adjective) – Deficient in physical strength

Synonyms – Debilitated, infirm, decrepit, ailing, fragile

Antonyms – Robust, stalwart, sturdy, vigorous, formidable

 

Haulage (noun) – The act of drawing or hauling something

Synonyms – Portage, conveying, truckage, draught, resorption

Antonyms – Acquisition, slipperiness, unhook, receival, disregard

 

Segregation (noun) – A social system that provides separate facilities for minority groups

Synonyms – Sequestration, apartheid, seclusion, insulation, ghettoization

Antonyms – Coalescence, comradery, embodiment, assimilation, chamber

 

Incineration (noun) – The act of burning something completely

Synonyms – Cremation, combustion, cineration, cupellation, scorification

Antonyms – Quench, chill, quench, calm, extinguish

 

Confound (verb) – Mistake one thing for another

Synonyms – Bewilder, perplex, baffle, mystify, flummox

Antonyms – Explicate, elucidate, scrutinize, embolden, interpret

 

Scourge (noun) – A person who inspires fear or dread

Synonyms – Flagellate, nemesis, devastate, torment, pestilence

Antonyms – Felicity, abet, anoint, armor, bolster

 

Staggering (adjective) – So surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm

Synonyms – Astounding, stupefying, wondrous, prodigious, splendid

Antonyms – Awaited, dammit, obvious, foreseeable, determined