Kategorie: News
Worldwide agreement called for
Plastic is ubiquitous, found in many animal organisms and present in the most remote areas of the world. In the journal Science, scientists are therefore calling for a global agreement to contain plastic pollution. The occasion is the 20th anniversary of the first study on the subject of microplastics.
The term ‘microplastic’, which is now widely used and well known, was first coined by Richard Thompson, head of the International Marine Litter Research Unit at the University of Plymouth, in a paper also published in ‘Science’ in 2004.
A perspective article published by the University of Vienna to mark the anniversary, which lists Sabine Pahl from the Environmental Psychology Working Group at the University of Vienna as one of the authors alongside Thompson himself, now looks back at the two decades since the term was coined.
In the article, the team asks the question: ‘Twenty years of research on microplastic pollution – what have we learned?’ – and provides an answer themselves: ‘In any case, enough to be able to say that efforts to date to tackle the problem are far from sufficient. The magnitude of the problem is illustrated by the estimate that around 40 megatons (!) of microplastics could enter the environment every year between now and 2040."
Plastic everywhere – large and small
A total of around 7,000 relevant scientific studies conducted since 2004 paint a picture of tiny plastic particles that can now be found in even the most remote corners of the earth. They can also be found in over 1,300 aquatic and terrestrial animal species, with many aquatic organisms in particular suffering greatly as a result. In addition, they are present in various foods or are absorbed by plants, for example, from tyre abrasion. Last but not least, research is increasingly showing that they have long since found their way into human tissue. For example, in several recent studies, researchers showed how plastic particles in the nanometre range accumulate in the brain and other organs.
Health effects
The health effects of microplastic pollution are still largely unknown – however, there is increasing evidence of negative effects, the scientists write in their paper. But we also need to ‘explore how people perceive the risks and benefits of plastic and what factors influence their support for action and change,’ Pahl said.
In this context, the study emphasises that plastic pollution is ‘entirely caused by human activity’ and that the issue represents ‘a profound societal challenge that can only be solved through interdisciplinary, international cooperation’. The United Nations negotiations on a global treaty on plastic pollution, which are scheduled to take place in South Korea in November, would provide a good opportunity for this – the researchers involved in the analysis even speak of a ‘tangible and historic opportunity’.
The aim is to regulate more or less the entire cycle that a plastic product goes through – from the complete component to the miniscule particles into which it eventually disintegrates, from production to recycling. If we also fail to reduce the quantities produced, there is a ‘high risk of irreversible environmental damage’, the report says.
Further information on the topic:
Nano plastics in the sea causes brain damage in fish
From the surface to the seabed - Microplastics
Plastic Ocean
The Mediterranean Sea – a focal point for plastic pollution
Marine Plastic Pollution increases