- According to new research, more than 170 trillion plastic particles weighing around 2 million tons are floating in the world’s oceans.
- To address the plastic problem, the researchers are urging lawmakers to urgently enact policies focused on reducing and reusing plastic.
- UN member states are due to meet this spring to develop a legally binding instrument against plastic pollution.
UN member states are due to meet this spring to develop a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.
MUNIR UZ ZAMAN | AFP | Getty Images
More than 170 trillion pieces of plastic, weighing about 2 million tons, are floating in the world’s oceans, according to new research, and that number could nearly triple by 2040 if no action is taken.
The authors of the peer-reviewed research report, published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE, warn that “cleaning up is futile” if plastic continues to be produced at current rates. They accuse the plastics industry of rejecting commitments to purchase recycled material or design for recyclability.
To address the plastic problem, the researchers are urging lawmakers to urgently adopt policies focused on reducing and reusing plastic to minimize environmental, social and economic harm.
“The exponential increase in microplastics in the world’s oceans is a stark warning that we must act now on a global scale, stop focusing on cleaning and recycling, and usher in an age of corporate responsibility for the full lifecycle of the things they make,” said Marcus Eriksen, co-founder of the 5 Gyres Institute, a US group dedicated to tackling plastic pollution.
The researchers assessed trends in plastic in the ocean from 1979 to 2019 and found a dramatic increase in the mass and abundance of plastic in the ocean since 2005.
They say this could reflect an exponential increase in plastic production, fragmentation of existing plastic pollution, or changes in how terrestrial waste is generated and managed.
“Cleaning up is futile if we keep producing plastic at the current rate, and we’ve heard about recycling for too long while the plastics industry refuses any obligation to buy recycled material or make it recyclable,” said Eriksen.
“It’s time to tackle the plastic problem at the source,” he added.
The rate of plastic entering the world’s oceans was expected to increase approximately 2.6-fold from 2016 to 2040 without immediate action to reverse the current trend.
The research, which a scientist and plastics researcher described to Portal as “staggeringly phenomenal and almost incomprehensible,” follows a historic global treaty on plastic pollution adopted by UN member states last year.
UN member states are due to meet this spring to develop a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.
The authors of the study say it is crucial to pass a resolution that covers the entire plastic cycle from extraction and manufacturing to end-of-life.
“The increasing accumulation of plastic particles around us and on our bodies will eventually render the planet unable to sustain life as we know it,” said Scott Coffin, research scientist at the California State Water Resources Control Board, in a statement .
“Now is the time for governments around the world to unite their efforts to reduce plastic production and further prevent its leakage into the environment,” Coffin said.