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Higher amounts of plastic ended up in the ocean, especially plastic from medical waste and masks. [26] [27] Several news reports point to a plastic industry trying to take advantage of the health concerns and desire for disposable masks and packaging to increase production of single use plastic. [28] [29] [30] [31]
Another way that plastic consumption and pollution results in increasing climate change rates, is from incineration of plastic waste. This releases way more toxins into the air and then it all gets consumed by ocean water. The oceans end up taking up chemicals, but also the small pieces of plastic that were not fully broken down.
[1] [2] As of 2022, an estimated 51 trillion microplastics are floating in the surface water of the world's oceans. [3] A single 5mm piece of plastic can host 1,000s of different microbial species. [4] Some marine bacteria can break down plastic polymers and use the carbon as a source of energy. Microbes interacting with the surface of plastics.
Debris on beach near Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Debris collected from beaches on Tern Island in the French Frigate Shoals over one month. Researchers classify debris as either land- or ocean-based; in 1991, the United Nations Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Pollution estimated that up to 80% of the pollution was land-based, [5] with the remaining 20% originating from ...
Plastic pollution is widely recognized as a critical global issue. It continues to overwhelm waste management systems, flooding plastic into our oceans, soil, air, and food chains, and raises ...
As global plastic production has ramped up in the last 20 years, so too has the concentration of these shredded, fossil fuel-derived polymers in human tissue samples.
[45] [46] Approximately 1.5 million tonnes of primary microplastics end up in the seas. Around 98% of this volume is created by land-based activities, with the remaining 2% being generated by sea-based activities. [46] [47] [48] It is estimated that 19–23 million tonnes of plastic leaks into aquatic ecosystems annually. [49]
Plastic’s versatility, durability, and low weight-to-strength ratio have made it an efficient material for many of life’s modern conveniences. However, by their nature, plastics can break down ...