Happy World Turtle Day! Have paper straws saved the sea turtles yet?

A Kemp's ridley sea turtle swims at the Center for Marine Education and Research in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, Associated Press

Happy World Sea Turtle Day! In honor of the occasion, let's check in on the sea turtles — has cutting back on plastic straws saved some of these majestic creatures? Did we actually make the transition to paper straws?

In 2015, marine biologist Christine Figgener recorded her team removing a plastic straw wedged into a sea turtle's nostril — the turtle is seen wincing and bleeding as the straw is extracted. The video tugged at viewer's heart strings and sparked a movement. No more plastic straws.

Starbucks was one of the first major companies to swear off plastic straws. The announcement claimed the coffee giant would eliminate plastic straws globally by 2020 and replace them with "alternative materials — including paper or compostable plastic."

Disney and McDonald's followed by claiming they would also be limiting — or eliminating — plastic straws entirely, per CNN.

In 2022, Canada issued a ban on single-use plastic, such as plastic straws, per Environment and Climate Change Canada. Single-use plastic will be phased out over the span of a decade.

In the years since Figgener's heartbreaking video surfaced, we’ve made some progress in our efforts to cut back on straws. But the plastic straw still reigns king above most alternatives — especially paper.

One of the earliest alternatives to plastic straws was paper. But paper straws come with one major flaw — once they hit a drink, they seem to have a life span of roughly 15 minutes before they go to mush.

To-go drink fans were not paper straw fans. They made that clear on Twitter.

if sea turtles tried paper straws they would understand

paper straws become an ingredient in ur drink after two sips

Whoever invented paper straws need to be arrested

There are several creative alternatives to plastic straws. Some of these include: bamboo straws, bio-degradable straws, papaya leaf straws, edible straws and sip lids.

At home, metal, reuseable plastic, glass and silicone straws all offer a sustainable alternative to single-use plastic straws.

Efforts to cut back on plastic straws are valiant, but they don't make a major difference. According a Stanford study, plastic straws only make up 1% of the plastic problem in our oceans.

It is estimated that there are 150 million metric tons of plastic in the ocean and we add an extra 8 million metric tons each year, according to the Stanford study. It will take more than the elimination of plastic straws to slow that trend.

Researchers found that 54% of post-hatchling sea turtles had plastic inside them, reports the Ocean Blue Project. An estimated 1,000 sea turtles die every year by consuming plastic, the report added. Once a sea turtle digests 14 pieces of plastic, their morality rate goes to 50%.

There are seven species of sea turtles on the earth today. Out of those seven species, five are in trouble. Leatherback, green and hawksbill sea turtles are all considered endangered species. Loggerhead and olive ridley sea turtles are listed as threatened, according to the Sea Turtle Conservatory.

There are a lot of ways to help save the sea turtles that have nothing to do with the type of straw you drink from. Here are a few suggestions provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.