While the world was focused on the conflict in Ukraine in Ukraine, a significant achievement of the United Nations flew under the radar in March. The UN Environment Programme in Nairobi held its fifth session. It was at this session that the global environmental authority focused its attention on plastic. The assembly passed a resolution after realizing that plastic pollution has spiraled beyond control. Resolution to eliminate plastic waste.
Given the shocking findings about how much plastic pollution has reached human bloodstream, the resolution is definitely timely. Credit card’s valueEach week, how many and what? MicroparticlesThe ocean now has more zooplankton than zooplankton.
Although the UN may have recognized the severity of the problem, scientists seem to have taken it as a sign of solidarity.
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The resolution was supported by delegations from 175 out of 193 member nations, which was the highlight of the session. The negotiations for a legally binding international treaty to limit plastic waste will begin May 30, and will be binding until 2024.
“The enormous variety and quantity of plastics and plastic chemicals, whose total weight exceeds that of all land and sea animals, poses huge challenges.”
Although widely considered a historic victory in environmental and global health, scientists issued dire warnings after the resolution was published. In Science, experts from a variety related fields wrote a letter calling for a resolute cap on plastic pollution.
“Despite interventions from the industry and objections by the United States and other delegations,” the letter stated, with its citations taking up nearly as much space as the content. “The enormous quantity and diversity of plastics and plastic chemicals, whose total weight exceeds that of all land and sea animals, poses immense challenges.”
Although succinct, the message was clear. Preventing plastic pollution does not mean more plastic.
These fears are not unfounded. The resolution placed a lot of emphasis on downstream solutions. They are those that target pollution rather then its source. This was done “to promote sustainable consumption and production of plastics through product design and environmentally responsible waste management, as well as resource efficiency and circular economy approaches.”
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This describes the ideal of green economy, which is a closed-loop system in that everything can be reused or repurposed and nothing leaks into our environment. This is a worthy and noble goal. This would, as the UNEP assembly pointed out, also require the cessation of illegal exportation of plastics from richer countries to the Global South.
Salon was informed by Dr. Sussane brander that “relying solely on these approaches is not going to decrease the production of plastic enough to not have an effect on the environment.”
Brander, an expert in environmental toxicology who studied the effects of microplastics upon gene expression at Oregon State University was one of nine experts who wrote the letter to Science.
“Even if we apply all technological and political solutions, including substitution, better waste management, and circularity to reduce plastic emissions to our environment, it is only possible to cut 79% annually over 20 years,” the letter stated. “To eliminate plastic pollution fully, the path forward must include a complete phasing out of virgin plastic production by 2030.”
Fortunately Science also published a 2021 studyA total of 30 authors performed the heavy lifting to identify current solutions, challenges and possible future paths. Put briefly, they found “no silver bullet exists” to keep the 450 million tonnes of plastic currently produced a year out of the environment.Meanwhile, carbon emissions from the entire life cycle of plastics are predicted to rise from 4.5% to between 10 and 13% of the total carbon budget by 2050.
The study concluded with the following paragraph: “Businesses, governments, as well as the international community, must make substantial commitments to improve the global plastic system to solve the ecological, socio-economic and economic problems associated with plastic pollution and achieve near zero input to the environment.”
The study showed that existing solutions, including recycling, recovery and replacing plastics by alternatives, could only reduce annual plastic pollution to 17.3 millions tons by 2040. This is why scientists from Canada, Germany and the United States urgently requested a letter from scientists from Canada and India.
Brander discovered that plastic pollution can cause stunted growth and infertility.
She explained that plastics are not dissimilar to other pollutant types such as pesticides and runoff, industrial chemicals and runoff, and so on. “They all contribute to some of these same problems, but plastics are different in that they continue breaking down.”
“Further innovation is needed in resource-efficient, low-emission models, reuse, refill systems, sustainable replacement materials, waste management technology, and effective government policy,” the report recommended. “This innovation could be funded through redirecting existing and future investment in virgin plastic infrastructure.”
Although much remains to be known about the health effects of heavy metal accumulation on humans, it is enough to inspire action. Brander’s own research explores the various effects that plastic pollution has on aquatic life’s hormonal systems. Brander discovered that plastic pollution can cause stunted growth and infertility.
She explained that plastics are not dissimilar to other pollutant types such as pesticides and runoff, industrial chemicals and runoff, and so on. “They all contribute to some of these same problems, but plastics are different in that they continue breaking down.”
Microplastics are therefore difficult to study. Microplastics are not dissipating and instead of dissolving, they disintegrate and persist in the environment. This makes it difficult to measure concentrations in the environment. Microplastics are found in our food and water, and they can accumulate in our bodies just like other organisms.
“We already know that microplastics are in our food, and at least three thousand different species have been shown to ingest them or be entangled in them. Microplastics have now been found within human placenta, in the lungs, and as of a few months ago, there was an independent peer-reviewed study where microplastics had been found in blood,” Dr. Tony Walker stated to Salon.
If their effects on other organisms are any indication of how serious they can be for human health, it will be disastrous. Walker, who is a specialist in remediation of environmental pollution at Dalhousie University of Nova Scotia, stated that only about 9 percent of recyclable waste worldwide is currently being recycled.
Salon’s Dr. Tony Walker stated that “the only way we can improve impacts is to reduce how much we make.” “There is no other way around it, even with the circular economics proposal. It still requires infrastructure to make sure that plastics are being reclaimed and that there is no leakage into the environment as with recycling.
Protecting human and environmental health and plastic production are mutually exclusive. It is not possible to determine which plastics pose a danger to health and safety once they have been found in the environment.
Plastic pollution control is urgent because of the pervasiveness of microscopic particles. International cooperation would have been almost impossible a decade ago. It remains to be seen how they will accomplish this task, but scientists are concerned that negotiations could repeat the failures in the Paris Agreement. This agreement failed to effectively move UN member states to reduce their carbon emissions.
Brander said that there was no reason to not act, even though the cessation in Virgin plastic use must be gradual. It’s difficult for me to see any reason for waiting and seeing, as we have done with so many chemicals.
Continue reading Salon articles on plastic pollution
