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And why then did plastic straws disapperaed in the US before slowly coming back? The story (in the US) I heard when I asked was usually "because we can and because it is good for the world".

That was a big self-own from a group that thought they have a carte blanche and can just ignore those pesky normies instead of explaining why the changes are good for them, too. And being smarter in picking battles. And minimizing inconveniences from unavoidable sharp edges.

Why did Alberta ban plastic straws then? There are approximately zero beaches here.

Alberta didn’t, Canada banned them because of similar evidence linking plastic straws to beach litter.

similarly for plastic bags.