Straws might seem insignificant, but the plastic straw has come to symbolize a global pollution crisis over the past decade.

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order ending a US government effort to replace plastic straws with paper. The order, which takes effect immediately, reverses a measure signed by former President Joe Biden, who had called plastic pollution a "crisis".

President Donald Trump in a new executive order inked on Monday encouraged the U.S. government and consumers to purchase plastic drinking straws at a time when several countries have issued a ban on non-biodegradable single-use plastics.