How Plastic Pollution Is Killing Our Planet and What We Can Do To Save It
By Tracey Chaykin, CRBA Writers Team
In our rapidly industrializing world, plastics have become an inescapable part of daily life. Yet, the convenience of plastics comes at a devastating cost to our planet. From polluting oceans and altering landscapes to threatening wildlife and their habitats, plastic waste is leaving a permanent mark on the Earth's ecosystems. This post provides an eye-opening, panoramic view of the scope of the impact plastic waste has on our planet, but it also reveals some of the many innovative solutions that offer hope and underscores the critical need for a global plastics treaty that will broaden and deepen international efforts to limit the relentless production of plastic and protect our world for future generations.
“Plastic pollution is a global issue: killing wildlife, contaminating our oceans and waters, and lasting far longer than it is used.”
– Leonardo DiCaprio, actor and environmental activist
Goose swimming in polluted Lake Merritt, Oakland, California - Artist Acelya Aksunkur – licensed from Shutterstock
Plastic pollution affects every corner of our world, including our cherished San Francisco Bay Area, where the impact is increasingly visible in our local ecosystems, such as Lake Merritt and the Monterey National Marine Sanctuary. While plastic's convenience cannot be denied, it has sparked global alarm due to its detrimental impact. A 2023 study revealed that within the Monterey National Marine Sanctuary alone, there were 260,613 pieces of plastic debris from unidentified sources.
This issue is not confined to our oceans; it begins on land and travels through ponds, canals, and rivers before reaching the sea. Recognized as a pervasive environmental problem (Carpenter and Wolveton 2017), plastic pollution demands urgent attention.
But, to fully grasp the necessity for action, it is crucial to understand the origins and extensive impact of plastic pollution on our global environment.
The Origins of Plastic
The history of plastic spans from ancient times, when natural materials like rubber were used, to the development of synthetic plastics in the 19th century. Key milestones include the creation of Parkesine in 1862, the first fully synthetic plastic, Bakelite, in 1907, and the rise of various plastics such as PVC, Teflon, and polyamide throughout the 20th century.
The late 20th century saw the emergence of bioplastics in response to growing environmental concerns resulting from the enormity of the environmental concerns around modern plastic production.
460 million metric tons: the annual amount of plastic production
99%: percentage of plastic that comes from Fossil Fuels
We are now seeing the effects of this plastic pollution on our health and environment as it enters our water, food, air, soil, and even our bodies.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch - Photo credit: The Ocean Cleanup
“Only we humans make waste that nature can’t digest.”
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located not far from the Bay Area, serves as a stark reminder of our overuse of plastic and lack of effective recycling practices, impacting marine life in both distant waters and our local coastlines. In fact, The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is part of five offshore plastic accumulation zones in the world's oceans (One in the Indian Ocean, two in the Atlantic Ocean, and two in the Pacific Ocean).
A deceased juvenile Albatross with a belly of plastic from the ocean - Photo credit with permission: Chris Jordan
It covers an approximate surface area of 1.6 million square kilometers – equal to an area twice the size of Texas and three times the size of France –and it’s formed by rotating ocean currents called "gyres." These gyres pull debris into one location, often the gyre's center, forming "patches."
Sadly, 80% of what ends up in our Oceans and collects in the Garbage patches comes from Land, from rivers in low to middle-income countries without effective waste management. Of the remaining 20 percent (considered marine sources), it's estimated that around half (10 percent) arises from fishing fleets (such as nets, lines, and abandoned vessels). These Garbage Patches circulate near islands affecting local bird populations, nesting turtles, and even the marine life in the oceans.
Impact of Plastic Pollution on Wildlife
Plastic pollution has also been wreaking havoc on our wildlife and ecosystems, as evidenced by an Art project I participated in with Artists and Biologists Unite for Nature (ABUN) in partnership with the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP). As part of their 4th World Albatross Day, ACAP focused on Plastic Pollution in the North Pacific. This area is close to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and its currents have brought many pieces of Plastic to the shores. Unfortunately, when albatrosses and petrels are scavenging for food from the surface, they cannot tell the difference between fish and plastic, and thus, many don’t survive after ingesting many pieces of plastic.
Closer to home, the Bay Area's own marine sanctuaries are also feeling the effects of plastic pollution, with local species like harbor seals and seabirds being affected by ingested or entangled plastics. This is just one of many ways plastic pollution affects other species and ecosystems. In addition to wildlife, research has revealed that plastic pollution has even altered the geology of specific areas.
Plastic Pollution’s Geological Impact
The discovery of Plastic rocks on Brazil’s volcanic Trindade Island, for example, is a testament to the pervasiveness of plastic pollution. A recent study has shown that melted Plastic has become intertwined with the natural rocks on the island, providing evidence of humans’ growing influence over the Earth’s geological cycles. The sample was found near the green turtle nesting site, and the source is fishing nets, common debris on Trinidade Island’s beaches.
“If it can’t be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refurbished, resold, recycled, or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production.”
As more and more Plastic is thrown away and enters the ocean, it’s becoming an increasingly significant problem for our global environment. Locally, studies have shown that microplastics are now present in Bay Area shorelines, further demonstrating the pervasiveness of plastic pollution.
The presence of plastic pollution in our oceans is not only disrupting the lives of marine species but also changing the ocean’s chemistry and potentially causing dangerous health problems for humans.
And with an estimated 170 trillion pieces of Plastic weighing over 2 million tons currently afloat in the world’s oceans, this problem doesn’t appear to be slowing down. To put this into perspective, try to imagine the number 170,000,000,000,000—that’s 170 trillion. If we calculate in seconds, that figure equals more than 5 million years. Turned into dollar bills stacked on each other, it would wrap around the Earth's equator about 462 times! A staggering number which only reinforces our need for global efforts to combat the menace that is plastic pollution!
Global Efforts to Combat Plastic Pollution
“Plastic pollution free world is not a choice but a commitment to life – a commitment to the next generation.”
Reducing plastic pollution is a multi-pronged effort requiring changes in consumer behavior, infrastructure, waste management improvements, and policy changes. Reducing the number of single-use plastics is a good first step. Individuals can make an impact by using reusable bags and containers, avoiding plastic straws and utensils, and refusing single-use items when possible.
In addition, recycling is a critical way to reduce the amount of plastic waste produced. Recycling programs need to be improved, and more widely available so discarded plastics can be used again. The Ocean Cleanup Initiative is one program whose sole focus is on collecting those discarded plastics that have found their way into our waters.
Ocean Cleanup collecting rubbish from a river in Malaysia – Artist Taufik Art – Licensed from Shutterstock
The Ocean Cleanup Initiative
“Industrial pollution and the discarding of plastic waste must be tackled for the sake of all life in the ocean.”
The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing plastic waste in our oceans. The Ocean Cleanup Initiative, in conjunction with local efforts like trash booms in Bay Area creeks, aims to reduce plastic pollution by 90% by 2040. The organization has developed technology to capture and remove large pieces of Plastic before they break into microplastics. Ingesting microplastics can be extremely dangerous for marine wildlife and potentially humans too. The need to prevent Plastic from breaking down into smaller particles is essential.
The Ocean Cleanup’s research has derived that Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans is one of our most significant environmental issues, impacting nearly 700 marine species. The magnitude of plastics reach with our wildlife, geology, and planet as a whole is exactly why we need policies in place like the Global Plastics Treaty to get a handle on this crisis globally before it’s too late.
The Urgency of a Global Plastics Treaty
In a Video for World Recycling Day by Sam Chetin Welsh, a Greenpeace UK political campaigner, he states since 1950, only 9% of all the Plastic ever produced has been recycled globally. To combat this problem, we need a strong, ambitious Global Plastics Treaty that can limit the production of single-use plastics and invest in systems to refill and reuse them. The first session of UN negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty — also known as INC-1 (Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee) — concluded in Punta del Este, Uruguay, on December 2nd, 2022. This treaty is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to limit plastic production and use for human rights, biodiversity, and climate.
A volunteer collects plastic debris on the ocean shorelines – Artist Steklo – Licensed from Shutterstock
Conclusion: A Call to Action
“It is the worst of times but it is the best of times, because we still have a chance” – Sylvia Earle, world renowned and one of first female oceanographers on plastic pollution. ”
For this reason, it is more important than ever to support a global effort that reduces plastic production and promotes sustainable alternatives. We must work together to ensure a future where we can live harmoniously with our planet and all its inhabitants.
We are all responsible for the damage we have caused to our planet, and it is time for us to take action and make a change. We in the Bay Area, known for our environmental leadership, have taken several actions against plastic pollution—by reducing our plastic use, supporting local clean-up efforts, and advocating for stronger global policies but we can’t do it alone. These types of efforts need to be implemented on a global scale if we are ever to get ahead of the plastic pollution crisis.
The plastic pollution crisis devastates our environment, endangers our health, and affects our future. It's time to get serious about our plastic use and stop it from destroying our planet. We must work together to reduce our consumption of single-use plastics, reuse what we can, and support companies that turn plastic waste into usable products. We can make a difference, so let's act now!
As you go through your day, what plastic containers are you making use of and ultimately disposing of in the trash?..
From using resuable water bottles and becoming a patron of a local fill-up shop where you can refill containers with liquids such as laundry soap, dish soap, cooking oils, shampoo, and more, to refusing to provision large work meetings or events with single-use plastic water containers, make it a commitment today to look for ways your household, workplace, social gatherings can reduce or eliminate plastic waste.
If you’re already a climate champion when it comes to eliminating plastic waste at the household level or beyond, please share in the comments below ideas or solutions you think can help us all reign in the plague of plastic waste.