TO HELP the emerging climate change industry, we see people recommending that the willow tree be eliminated and seriously suggesting that the humble, yet useful, plastic sleeve bags be abolished.

At a similar time we see no attempt to rid the community of the fruit fly and the destructive Indian myna bird and minimal attacks on the cane toad.

The first may ruin our really important home grown fruit and vegetables, the second is doing its best to devoid us of the beautiful native birds in our midst, while the third is cannibalising the frog population.

This is both foolish and typical.

If we concentrate on furthering the needs of those conjuring up a new industry, then we ignore the needs of the future.

We need to ask the question: Is the plastic shopping bag a menace? Why pick the shopping bag? Is it because it is used by the masses who generally pay the piper? On the other hand, is it because the argument will be accepted by the many?

The interesting thing about plastic is that it is everywhere. I’m writing this on a plastic computer, the printer is plastic. If I send it by email,plastic is involved at both addresses.

Here is a short resume on plastic. The skin of my car is plastic, so too my Medicare card, debit card, driver’s licence, then take-away containers, meat in supermarkets is wrapped in plastic.

Beer is mostly in plastic, prescription pills are in blister packs a CD, a DVD, school pens and bags are plastic, cameras and calculators are plastic. The CT scan, the MRI scan are dear enough now, but without plastic, prohibitive.

Obviously your readers will note down more examples of how plastic is entrenched in our actual being.

A big thing of course would be the increase in freight if plastic were abolished. You walk on carpet, hang curtains and take medicine delivered in plastic.

So the result of doing away with plastic shopping bags is chopping down more trees to make the paper to wrap our garbage and trash in.

While they claim there is massive destruction of sea life from errant plastic bags, none will admit or remember that most sea life is destroyed unnecessarily by long line fishing nets.

Next time your readers go shopping they might have a look at what the business is selling, what the ceiling is made of.

Have a look at the aprons of the staff, how about the light fittings, what about the plastic roofing, what about the plastic cash register which confiscates your (real) plastic money.

The newly acclaimed environmental, coloured shopping bags are actually plastic.

Next time someone uses a plastic mobile phone or vacuum cleaner or hangs keys on their lanyard, or buys a child’s birthday present, or buys a Christmas present (like a clock), they might then think better of the humble plastic sleeve bag.

Neil Forscutt

WILLOW TREE