3. Impact of the plastic pollution crisis (Part I - environmental)

Plastic debris contaminates the environment, posing a significant threat to life on land and in the oceans. From clogging the stomachs of marine animals, to impacts on air pollution and chemical contamination; the effects of plastic pollution are everywhere.

Marine ecosystems are perhaps most associated with plastic pollution. Plastic debris is rapidly accumulating in oceans, meaning that plastic from all over the world is being washed up in coastal areas, and even on the shores of remote islands. As ocean plastic fragments into microplastics, it infiltrates food chains, posing additional risks to marine life and entering the human food chain.

Heartbreaking footage of a sea turtle’s nose blocked by a plastic straw became emblematic of plastic pollution’s impact on marine life. Approximately one million marine animals are killed from marine plastic pollution every year, primarily from ingestion and suffocation - including by entanglement in ‘ghost’ (discarded) plastic fishing nets.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a massive accumulation of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean, also serves as a stark reminder of the scale of the problem. Plastic pollution in oceans has been shown to disrupt marine ecosystem functions, altering nutrient cycles and biodiversity.

But while the ocean fills up with plastic, there is three times as much plastic waste leaking into land-based ecosystems. Around the world, plastic is filling vulnerable natural habitats in forests and wetlands, as well as causing health risks in urban spaces and to communities living close to and working in unregulated dumpsites and landfills.

Improper disposal practices, such as open burning of plastic waste, also release toxic pollutants and greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, exacerbating air quality issues and contributing to global warming. These toxins also pose a threat to human health.