Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden measured samples of environmental DNA from around the globe and used computer modelling to search for microbial enzymes with plastic-degrading potential.
This was then cross-referenced with the official numbers for plastic waste pollution across countries and oceans.
The results illustrate the impact plastic pollution is having on the environment and hint at potential new solutions for managing the problem.
“Using our models, we found multiple lines of evidence supporting the fact that the global microbiome’s plastic-degrading potential correlates strongly with measurements of environmental plastic pollution – a significant demonstration of how the environment is responding to the pressures we are placing on it,” said associate professor Aleksej Zelezniak.
Global plastic pollution has been growing exponentially in the last 70 years: from around two million tonnes per year to around 380 million...