Question

"Innovative Plastic Packaging May Help Waste Crisis"

by EPA

Our dependence on plastics, particularly plastic packaging, has generated an enormous amount of plastic waste that is accumulating in the oceans at an alarming rate. A new study by Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ, Ltd. Estimates that by 2040, if current trends continue, the amount of plastic waste released globally into the oceans will triple to nearly 32 million tons per year. According to Pew, this is the equivalent of dumping 110 pounds of plastic on every meter of coastline around the world. Plastic waste in the environment persists for hundreds to thousands of years and creates serious risks for wildlife, their habitats, and humans.

Rethinking Plastic Packaging Solve the Plastic Waste Crisis?, Environmental Protection Agency, September 21 , 2020

Question
Use the passage to answer the question.

Why does the author use the transition, particularly, in this passage?

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

The author uses the transition "particularly" to emphasize the significance of plastic packaging in contributing to the plastic waste crisis. This transition indicates that while plastics in general are a problem, plastic packaging specifically plays a major role in generating a large amount of plastic waste that ends up in the oceans. By using "particularly," the author highlights the importance of focusing on plastic packaging as a key contributor to the issue at hand.