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Edge of Collapse

Becoming collapse aware in the age of the permanent polycrisis.

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Drowning in Plastic, Dying in Silence

10 min readMay 17, 2025

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A crab using a piece of plastic as shelter on Henderson Island.
(Image Credit: NBC News)

Let’s get something straight: we’ve known this was a problem for decades. Not just scientists or environmental activists — but anyone with eyes, lungs, and a modicum of brain function. And still, the system shrugs. Lawmakers with pockets full of petrochemical PAC money keep pretending that recycling is the answer and that the market will somehow “innovate” its way out of this catastrophe. Meanwhile, the Earth is being slow-roasted in a marinade of plastic pollution, and all we’ve managed to do is offer up a few paper straws and a TikTok trend or two.

We’ve seen the photos. A hermit crab scuttling along a beach in a toothpaste cap. A sea turtle choking on a plastic bag, mistaking it for a jellyfish. But those are just the cute examples. Try holding a seabird in your hand — one that literally crunches from the inside out because its digestive system is a landfill of plastic shards. That’s not just heartbreaking. It’s a red siren screaming from the periphery of collapse.

Plastic isn’t just a litter problem. It’s an extinction engine. It seeps into ecosystems and never leaves, cloaking itself in “convenience” as it murders species offstage. And the kicker? Humans won’t even be first in line for the consequences. No, we’re up in the VIP lounge of the…

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Edge of Collapse
Edge of Collapse

Published in Edge of Collapse

Becoming collapse aware in the age of the permanent polycrisis.

Angus Peterson
Angus Peterson

Written by Angus Peterson

Becoming collapse aware in the age of the permanent polycrisis. Follow to get all the new stories: https://anguspeterson.medium.com/subscribe

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