MS Science-Climate Change: Human Impact-Plastic Waste

How much plastic has the world produced cumulatively? The chart shows that by 2015, the world had produced 7.8 billion tons of plastic — more than one ton of plastic for every person alive today.

Some key facts:

• Half of all plastics ever manufactured have been made in the last 15 years.

• Production increased exponentially, from 2.3 million tons in 1950 to 448 million tons by 2015. Production is expected to double by 2050.

• Every year, about 8 million tons of plastic waste escapes into the oceans from coastal nations. That’s the equivalent of setting five garbage bags full of trash on every foot of coastline around the world.

• Plastics often contain additives making them stronger, more flexible, and durable. But many of these additives can extend the life of products if they become litter, with some estimates ranging to at least 400 years to break down.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/plastic-pollution/ 

Millions of animals are killed by plastics every year, from birds to fish to other marine organisms. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by plastics. Nearly every species of seabird eats plastics.

Most of the deaths to animals are caused by entanglement or starvation. Seals, whales, turtles, and other animals are strangled by abandoned fishing gear or discarded six-pack rings. Microplastics have been found in more than 100 aquatic species, including fish, shrimp, and mussels destined for our dinner plates. In many cases, these tiny bits pass through the digestive system and are expelled without consequence. But plastics have also been found to have blocked digestive tracts or pierced organs, causing death. Stomachs so packed with plastics reduce the urge to eat, causing starvation.

Plastics have been consumed by land-based animals, including elephants, hyenas, zebras, tigers, camels, cattle, and other large mammals, in some cases causing death.

Tests have also confirmed liver and cell damage and disruptions to reproductive systems, prompting some species, such as oysters, to produce fewer eggs. New research shows that larval fish are eating nanofibers in the first days of life, raising new questions about the effects of plastics on fish populations.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/plastic-pollution/

• Forty per cent of all plastic products have become rubbish within one month.
• Up to 2018, 86 million tons of plastic have ended up in the sea. Of this amount, 0.5% is floating on the surface. 23 million tons (26.8%) can be found in coastal waters, 29 million tons (33.7%) are stranded on the coast or have sunk to the ocean floor, and 34 million tons (39%) can be found in the water columns of the oceans.
• Of the 120 species of sea mammals on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 54 are known to eat or to become entangled, in plastic. 
• 95% of the fulmar population in the North Sea have plastic in their stomachs: on average, 34 pieces (with a total weight of 0,31 grams). Converted to human proportions, this represents a plate full of plastic.
• Plastic from fishing nets has been found in 95% of all gannet nests on the islands of Heligoland. One third of all the gannet deaths on these islands in the North Sea is caused by entanglement: the birds have hung themselves in the nylon threads during breeding.
• Plastic in water attracts toxins such as PCB and DDT. Animals and birds that ingest the plastic also ingest these toxins, as well as the harmful additives that were added to the plastic during production.
• It is known that at least 387 marine species travel long distances over water as hitch-hikers on plastic rubbish. This leads to a disturbance of eco-systems through invasion by new species.
• It is estimated that the Rhine discharges 893.000 microplastics per square kilometer into the sea. Of all the large rivers in the world, Asiatic rivers discharge the most plastic into the sea.
• In many European countries, sewage slib is spread over agricultural land as fertilizer. This slib is full of microplastics that have been filtered from wastewater. That accounted for 11.653 tons of microplastics in France in 2016…..

https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/plastic-problem/plastic-pollution-facts/plastic-facts-figures/ 

WHEN THE HEADS of state of 4 nations sat down together in late 2018 to discuss the grim condition of the world’s oceans, there was no certainty that anything consequential would result. The leaders planned 14 gatherings, but met only twice before the pandemic upended their talks.

So when the group announced this week the world’s most far-reaching pact to protect and sustain ocean health, it signaled a bit more than a noteworthy achievement in a complicated time. The agreement, negotiated via the nuance-free tool of video conferencing, also offered hope of a renewed era of global accord on climate, where issues grounded in science might finally trump political posturing.

Overall, the 14 leaders agreed to sustainably manage 100 percent of the oceans under their national jurisdictions by 2025—an area of ocean roughly the size of Africa. Additionally, they vowed to set aside 30 percent of the seas as marine protected areas by 2030, in keeping with the United Nations’ campaign known as “30 by 30.”

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2020/12/in-rare-show-of-solidarity-14-key-nations-commit-to-protect-oceans/

Jambeck et al. quantified municipal and plastic waste streams from coastal populations in 2010 with projections to the year 2025.

The authors' definition of a coastal population is based on those who live within 50km of a coastal water. Such populations are those for which plastic waste is at risk of leading to ocean debris. Sources further inland are significantly less likely to end up as ocean debris.

The authors define mismanaged and inadequately managed waste as follows: "mismanaged waste is material that is either littered or inadequately disposed. Inadequately disposed waste is not formally managed and includes disposal in dumps or open, uncontrolled landfills, where it is not fully contained. Mismanaged waste could eventually enter the ocean via inland waterways,
wastewater outflows, and transport by wind or tides."

• More than 1 million seabirds and 100,000 marine animals die from plastic pollution every year.
• 100% of baby sea turtles have plastic in their stomachs.
• There is now 5.25 trillion macro and micro pieces of plastic in our ocean & 46,000 pieces in every square mile of ocean, weighing up to 269,000 tonnes.
• Every day around 8 million pieces of plastic makes their way into our oceans.
• The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is around 1.6 million square kilometers – bigger than Texas.
• The world produces 381 million tonnes in plastic waste yearly – this is set to double by 2034.
• 50% of this is single-use plastic & only 9% has ever been recycled.
• Over 2 million tonnes of plastic packaging are used in the UK each year.
• 88% of the sea's surface is polluted by plastic waste.
• Between 8 to 14 million tonnes enters our ocean every year.
• Britain contributes an estimated 1.7 million tonnes of plastic annually.
• The US contributes 38 million tonnes of plastic every year.
• Plastic packaging is the biggest culprit, resulting in 80 million tonnes of waste yearly from the US alone.
• On UK beaches there are 5000 pieces of plastic & 150 plastic bottles for each mile.
• More than 1 million plastic bags end up in the trash every minute.
• The world uses over 500 billion plastic bags a year – that’s 150 for each person on Earth.
• 8.3 billion plastic straws pollute the world’s beaches, but only 1% of straws end up as waste in the ocean.
• By 2020 the number of plastics in the sea will be higher than the number of fish.
• 1 in 3 fish caught for human consumption contains plastic.
• Plastic microbeads are estimated to be one million times more toxic than the seawater around it.
• Products containing microbeads can release 100,000 tiny beads with just one squeeze.

(Source: https://www.condorferries.co.uk/plastic-in-the-ocean-statistics)