I know at this point it may sound like environmentalists beating the same plastic drum, but ocean plastic pollution is a persistent problem around the globe – the drumming must go on.
Sea life becomes entangled in large pieces of plastic like fishing nets, with smaller fish ingesting microplastics which eventually enter the food chain to be consumed by humans.
A new study, published in early March, found that plastic pollution in the world's oceans has reached “unprecedented levels” over the past 15 years, with researchers calling for not just tougher restrictions on plastic waste, but a complete ban on certain types of plastics globally.
The research estimated that there are 170 trillion pieces of plastic, most of which are microplastics, on the surface of the world's oceans today, much of it discarded since 2005.
“Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans during the past 15 years has reached unprecedented levels,” said the study, published in the open-access journal PLOS One.
The amounts were higher than previous estimates, the study finding that the rate of plastic entering the oceans is highly likely to accelerate in the coming decades if left unchecked.
Researchers took plastic samples from over 11 000 research stations around the world, focusing on a 40-year period between 1979 and 2019. They found no trends until 1990, then a fluctuation in trends between 1990 and 2005. After that, the samples rocket.
“We see a really rapid increase since 2005, because there is a rapid increase in production and also a limited number of policies that are controlling the release of plastic into the ocean,” contributing author Lisa Erdle told AFP.
The sources of plastic pollution in the ocean are numerous.
Fishing gear like nets and buoys often end up in the middle of the ocean, dumped or dropped by accident, while things like clothing, car tyres and single-use plastics often pollute nearer to the coast.
They eventually break down into microplastics, which Erdle said can look like “confetti on the surface of the ocean”.
Current trends suggest that the use of plastic will double across G20 nations by 2050, reaching 451 million tonnes each year, according to the report.
Recycling, even in countries with advanced waste management systems, has done little to help the pollution problem since just a small percentage of plastics are properly recycled and much often end up in landfills instead.
If landfills are not properly managed, plastic waste can leach into the environment, eventually making its way to oceans.
“We really see a lack of recycling, a flood of toxic products and packaging,” Erdle said.
The rates of plastic waste were seen to recede at some points between 1990 and 2005, in part because there were some effective policies in place to control pollution.
That includes the 1988 Marpol treaty, a legally binding agreement among 154 countries to end the discharge of plastics from naval, fishing and shipping fleets.
But with so much more plastic being produced today, the study’s authors said a new, wide-ranging treaty is needed to not only reduce plastic production and use, but also better manage its disposal.
“Environmental recovery of plastic has limited merit, so solution strategies must address those systems that restrict emissions of plastic pollution in the first place,” the study said.
Last year, 175 nations agreed to end plastic pollution under a legally binding UN agreement that could be finalised as soon as next year.
Among the key actions under negotiation is a global ban on single-use plastics, a “polluter pays” scheme and a tax on new plastic production.
The total weight of the plastic pollution detected in the ocean today is estimated at 2.3 million tonnes, the study said.
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