More than 170 trillion plastic particles in the world’s oceans

According to new research, there are more than 170 trillion plastic particles weighing about 2 million tons floating in the world’s oceans, and that number could almost triple by 2040 if no action is taken.

The authors of the peer-reviewed research paper, published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE, warn that “cleaning up is pointless” if plastics are being produced at the current rate. They blame the plastics industry for rejecting commitments about buying recycled material or designing for recyclability.

To tackle the plastic problem, the researchers are calling on legislators to urgently implement policies aimed at source reduction and reuse, to minimize environmental, social and economic damage.

“The exponential increase in microplastics in the world’s oceans is a strong warning that we must now act on a global scale, stop focusing on cleanup and recycling, and usher in an era of corporate responsibility for the entire life of the things that they make.” said Marcus Eriksen, co-founder of The 5 Gyres Institute, a US group campaigning to tackle plastic pollution.

The researchers assessed ocean plastic trends from 1979 to 2019 and found a dramatic increase in the mass and abundance of ocean plastic since 2005.

They say this could reflect an exponential increase in plastic production, fragmentation of existing plastic pollution, or changes in the production and management of waste on Earth.

“Cleaning up is pointless if we continue to produce plastic at the current rate, and we have been hearing about recycling for too long, at the same time the plastics industry rejects all commitments to buy or design recycled material for recyclability,” said Eriksen.

“It’s time to tackle the plastic problem at its source,” he added.

The rate at which plastic enters the world’s oceans, without immediate action to reverse the current trend, is expected to increase by about a factor of 2.6 between 2016 and 2040.

The research, which a scientist and plastics researcher told Reuters was “stunningly phenomenal and almost incomprehensible,” follows a historic global plastic pollution treaty that UN member states adopted last year.

The UN member states will meet this spring to develop a legally binding instrument against plastic pollution.

The study’s authors say it’s critical to arrive at a resolution that addresses the full cycle of plastic, from extraction and production to end-of-life.

“The increasing accumulation of plastic particles in our environment and our bodies will eventually lead to the planet’s inability to sustain life as we know it,” said Scott Coffin, a researcher with the California State Water Resources Control Board, in a statement.

“Now is the time for governments around the world to unite in their efforts to reduce plastic production and further prevent it from entering the environment,” Coffin said.