Go China! You’re our new role model!

All of the sudden, China has become a climate-crisis role model. What in the hell happened?! The country recently announced it will charge a fee for plastic bags in grocery stores. Ireland already does this, charging 25 cents per bag, which has led to a 95-percent drop in consumption. It’s no secret that these petroleum-based bags take generations to break down, so reducing our use pleases the Earth. San Francisco recently addressed this environmental disaster by banning them, telling businesses to offer biodegradable alternatives instead. But the higher cost of biodegradable versions is being passed on to the consumer. Solution: Why not follow China and charge for plastic bags? Problem: As reported in a Los Angeles Times editorial, California, in all its intelligence, prohibited municipalities from imposing fees on plastic shopping bags in 2006, when it passed Assembly Bill 2449. The law’s intent was to mandate in-store bag recycling programs, but in the process kicked itself in the face.