Bottled Water: A Comparative Analysis

When engaging in a dialogue about bottled water, it is vital to recognize both sides of the argument to generate progress and make concessions that identify its positive and negative effects. However, it is unquestionable that the negative effects of bottled water exceed its positive effects, because its negative effects on human health and the environment supersedes all the positive effects it has such as its convenience for consumers. With our planet being exploited of its resources and being radically transformed, it is unquestionable that the plastic in bottled water is one of the numerous factors that has contributed to not only endangering our planet, but also endangering the life that inhabits it. As much as critics aim to refute bottled …show more content…
According to NASA’s article about climate change, numerous studies published in scientific journals show that 97 percent of climate scientists agree that climate change is having significant negative effects on our planet and that it is extremely likely due to human activities. Those who are large proponents of using plastic aim to disassociate the consumption and mass production of plastic from being part of the human interaction that contributes to climate change by suggesting that plastic is “environmentally friendly.” According to Ads Coordinator, Isabel Johnson’s article, Bottled Water Go Away, bottled water companies have made numerous efforts to reduce the amount of plastic in bottled water in order to deem them environmentally friendly. In this article, the efforts of bottled water companies are conveyed to us by suggesting that bottled water companies like Ice Mountain use “30% less plastic in their bottled water.” While it is true that bottled water companies have made efforts to reduce the amount of plastic in bottled water, it doesn’t distinguish them as “environmentally friendly. In Johnson’s article, it later suggests that “just because plastic is recyclable doesn’t indicate that plastic is often recycled. 8 out of 10 water bottles are not recycled, and that they end up in landfills, emitting dangerous pollutants that harm our environment.” Although the efforts of bottled water companies give some credibility to the counterargument of bottled water proponents, the statistics indicating that most bottled water isn’t recycled negates their claim of plastic being “environmentally friendly” because the direct result of this unfortunate reality is that most bottled water ends up in landfills and oceans, thereby emitting dangerous toxins that harm our environment. Given these statistics, it