Based on a brand new research by a bunch of scientists who developed a brand new computer model to trace the flow of world plastic pollution, greater than 1.3 billion tons of plastic waste will move into the world’s oceans and land by 2040 if there is not any intervention.
Single-use plastic surged in production in recent decades, filling up oceans and land with waste making it tougher for waste management systems to eliminate and recycle the plastics produced worldwide.
Based on the research, though a worldwide effort to curb plastic consumption and pollution might mitigate pollution by roughly 80%, about 710 million metric tons of plastic will nonetheless be dumped into the surroundings by 2040 even in the most effective case situation.
Even when governments commit to lowering plastic waste, within the next 20 years about 133 million tons of plastic might be burned, 77 million tons will dumped on land and 29 million tons will find yourself within the ocean, researchers projected.
“This scientific inquiry has for the first time given us a comprehensive insight into the staggering amounts of plastic waste that are being dumped into the world’s terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems,” Costas Velis, a lecturer at the University of Leeds in the U.K. and an author of the report titled Breaking the Plastic Wave.” said in a statement.
“We now have a much clearer picture of the sources of the pollution and where it eventually ends up,” Velis said.
Increase in production and disposal of single-use plastic, which is projected to increase by 40% in the next decade, has become more problematic during the coronavirus pandemic, as countries turn away from reusable products and municipalities scaling back recycling operations due to fears over spreading the virus.
The pandemic has also shifted global waste management systems and reduced prices of plastic.
The projected increase in plastic waste according to researchers, will kill more marine life and endanger the human food chain. According to the study, the biggest source of pollution is municipal waste from households.
