The study states that plastic pollution is a global threat and actions to drastically reduce emissions of plastic to the environment are "the rational policy response". The study is due to be published in the journal Science tomorrow (2 July).
Plastic is now found everywhere on the planet: from deserts and mountaintops to deep oceans and Arctic snow. As of 2016, estimates of global emissions of plastic to the world's lakes, rivers and oceans ranged from nine to 23 million metric tonnes per year, with a similar amount emitted onto land yearly. These estimates are expected to almost double by 2025 if business-as-usual scenarios apply.
"Plastic is deeply engrained in our society and it leaks out into the environment everywhere, even in countries with good waste-handling infrastructure," said Matthew MacLeod, a professor at Stockholm University and lead author of the study. He says that emissions are trending upward, even though awareness about...