171 Trillion Plastic Pieces Estimated to Swim in Oceans

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The latest research, conducted by the 5 Gyres Institute and published in the journal Plos One, took a closer look at plastic pollution trends between 1979 and 2019. It found that in 2005, around16 trillion plastic particles floated in the oceans. This has now increased to 171 trillion pieces. The authors blamed the plastic industry for the rapid increase, while urging that “cleanup is futile” if plastic pollution continues at the current rate. 

The solution to reducing the amount of plastic particles in the ocean lies in reducing the amount produced and used, according to the study authors, rather than in cleanup and recycling efforts.

Dr Marcus Eriksen, the co-founder of the 5 Gyres Institute, said: “The exponential increase in microplastics across the world’s oceans is a stark warning that we must act now at a global scale, stop focusing on cleanup and recycling, and usher in an age of corporate responsibility for the entire life of the things they make.”

“Cleanup is futile if we continue to produce plastic at the current rate, and we have heard about recycling for too long while the plastic industry simultaneously rejects any commitments to buy recycled material or design for recyclability. It’s time to address the plastic problem at the source,” he added.

As part of the research, the scientists behind the study took a closer look at 11,777 floating ocean plastics samples to create a global time line to estimate the average plastic counts in the surface layer of the ocean. Thereby, they were also able to evaluate the effectiveness of policies that were implemented around the globe to reduce plastic pollution in the oceans.

 Courtesy: www.oceanographicmagazine.com