Ocean plastic pollution could soon pass critical point

Huge amounts of plastic end up in our nature every day. Whether this happens through willful throwing away of garbage or otherwise is irrelevant, but it should be clear that our oceans cannot absorb infinitely more garbage. A new study from Sweden, Norway and Germany even assumes that a critical point will soon be exceeded.

Because 9 to 23 million tons annually supplement the already abundant supply of plastic waste in the world’s oceans. In addition, there is the same amount that occurs on land and can also get into the water later. If we don’t change our behavior, this amount is likely to almost double by 2025. So the prospects for marine ecosystems are not good.

Another reason is that we do not recycle enough of the material; producing a new item is usually cheaper than reusing it. Furthermore, large amounts of plastic are exported by nations that would actually be able to recycle, recipients are mostly other countries that do not have this possibility. This is why a lot of plastic is still burned or blown into nature from garbage dumps.

Organizations have been around for some time trying to stop the plastic and even collect it at sea, but remote areas are exposed to ever greater dangers as a result. The researchers assume that a point will soon be passed at which more and more animals die, ecosystems perish and further climate changes are set in motion.

Nature has forgiven us too much in the recent past, should this tipping point be reached, but changes could take place quickly and be irreversible. As a consequence, the researchers are calling for more efforts in recycling, making new plastic products more expensive (compared to their reused counterparts) and banning exports from rich to poor nations. But whether this will prevent a catastrophe in the near future remains to be seen.

Via Scitech Daily