Article 1

Environment

Plastic pollution in aquatic systems may triple by 2040: UNEP

Around 23-37 million tonnes of waste could end up in the ocean a year by 2040, up from 9-14 million tonnes a year in 2016

By S usan Chacko

Published: Friday 22 October 2021

 The microbial community on plastic debris — the plastisphere — now covers the multiple biomes
on Earth. From the deepest parts of the ocean to the most remote oceanic islands, plastics and
microplastics are all-pervasive.

A new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has rung alarm bells: The
amount of plastics in the oceans has been estimated to be around 75-199 million tonnes at present.
Without meaningful action, emissions of plastic waste into aquatic ecosystems are projected to nearly
triple by 2040. It could more than double by 2030, according to the assessment.

The r eport talks about the extreme pressures being exerted on the planet due to plastic pollution and
the need for urgent action to offset it.

The report flagged that under a business-as-usual scenario and in the absence of necessary
interventions, the amount of plastic waste entering aquatic ecosystems could nearly triple from 9-14
million tonnes a year in 2016 to 23-37 million tonnes a year by 2040.

Of the seven billion tonnes of plastic waste generated so far, an estimated 1 0 per cent was recycled,
14 per cent incinerated and the remaining 76 per cent went into landfills, dumps and littered in the
natural environment.

The estimated annual loss in the value of plastic packaging waste during sorting and processing alone
is $80-120 billion.

Plastics labelled as biodegradable may take hundreds of years to degrade in the oceans; litter poses
similar risks to individuals, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

The main sources of marine litter and plastic pollution are land-based. Approximately 7,000
million of the estimated 9,200 million tonnes of cumulative plastic production between 1950 and
2017 became plastic waste.

At least three-quarters of this were discarded and placed in landfills, became part of mismanaged
waste streams or was dumped and abandoned in the environment, including in the sea.

The mismanagement of waste from African and Asian watersheds may result in the r elease of
millions of tonnes of litter and plastic waste into the world’s major terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
and eventually into the oceans, according to a 2019 Nature report.

Plastic can also alter global carbon cycling through its effect on plankton and primary production
in marine, freshwater and terrestrial systems. Marine ecosystems — especially mangroves,
seagrasses, corals and salt marshes — play a major role in sequestering carbon.

The more damage we do to oceans and coastal areas, the harder it is for these ecosystems to both offset
and remains resilient to climate change.

The greenhouse gas emissions from plastics in 2015 were 1.7 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide
equivalent (GtCO2e). This is projected to increase to approximately 6.5 GtCO2e by 2050, or 15 per
cent of the global carbon budget, the report said.

Inger Andersen, executive director, UNEP, said: This assessment provides the strongest scientific
argument to date for the urgency to act, and for collective action to protect and restore our oceans from
source to sea. A major concern is the fate of breakdown products, such as microplastics and chemical
additives, many of which are known to be toxic and hazardous to both human and wildlife health as well
as ecosystems.

Reference

Susan Chacko.(2021). News of Plastic pollution in aquatic systems may triple by 2040: UNEP.
Retrieved fromhttps://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/environment/plastic-pollution-in-
aquatic-systems-may-triple-by-2040-unep-79822
Article 2

Gwen Ranniger

Aug 11, 2021

Ocean plastic pollution

Too much plastic is ending up in the ocean — and
making its way back onto our dinner plates.
Plastic pollution: we all know it's a problem. In 2015, we produced almost 450 million
tons of plastic, with that number expected to double by 2050.

Think that it's all managed? Think again: less than 10% is recycled. And every year
more than 8 million tons make their way into our oceans.
Plastic pollution in the ocean
Credit: Naja Bertolt Jensen/Unsplash

Plastics make up 80% off all marine debris — from what's floating on the surface to deep-sea
sediments.

The amount of plastic ending up in our oceans is sobering — by 2050, there is

expected to be more plastic pollution than fish, by weight, in the ocean
 How plastics end up in the ocean

Credit: Brian Yurasits/Unsplash

Plastic debris ends up in the ocean in a variety of ways, making the quest to stop plastic pollution
much more difficult.

Some of these paths to the water include:

 Litter, including plastic bags, take out containers, packaging, which are swept down storm
drains into local waterways, working down rivers into the ocean;
 Plastic products, including litter but also fishing nets, lost or thrown overboard at sea.
o This is not the main culprit: more than 80% of plastic ending up in the ocean comes from
land-based activities;
 Illegal dumping or poor waste management of trash on beaches around the globe;
 Microplastics from cosmetic and hygiene products, or clothing in our washing machines going
down the drain;
 Industrial by products from improperly conducted or managed production processes.
Ocean plastic pollution impacts
Credit: Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung/flickr

You may have heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch: a collection of large and small plastic debris that has
accumulated in the Pacific Ocean, corralled by ocean currents and currently covering at least 1.6 million
kilometers of the ocean surface.

The patch is overwhelming due to discarded plastics from countries around the Pacific Rim and is a stark
visual reminder of the massive problem. It isn't the only one, either. There are plastic patches growing in
every one of our oceans.
Additional impacts of ocean plastic pollution:

Death of marine life

Many marine animals such as turtles and dolphins mistake plastic fragments for food.
Ingesting plastic is often fatal to animals, as the plastic blocks their digestive tract and causes
them to starve.
Many seabirds, seals, turtles, and whales also get entangled in plastic matter and suffocate, drown,
or become easier prey for predators.

Impact on the food chain

Tests done on some marine species have shown that endocrine-disrupting chemicals in plastic have
affected their reproductive systems. For example, oysters impacted by plastic- saturated
environments produce less eggs. These tests have raised new questions about the impacts of plastic on
our food supply as animals ingest plastic from the first days of life.

The far reaches of microplastics

Once plastics enter the sea, sun, wind, and wave activity break them down into smaller and
smaller fragments. These fragments, called microplastics, have been found in all corners of the
globe, from within Arctic sea ice to the slopes of Mount Everest.
Microplastics are swept up in the water cycle, returning to land via precipitation and
impacting soil quality. Microplastics are also ingested by wildlife, impacting not only their
biological systems but also contaminating our food supply.

Don't miss EHN's recent investigation into microplastics in kshmeal that are
contaminating farmed fish.

The health impacts of ingesting microplastics are still relatively unknown. However, they are
chemically active materials and can bind to other compounds that can harm human health.
What can be done?

Credit: OCG Saving The Ocean/Unsplash

Once in the ocean, it's extremely difficult to retrieve plastics.

Efforts, however, are under way. The Ocean Cleanup is an organization working to develop new technologies that
make ocean plastics clean up possible, with a goal to eliminate 90% of ocean plastic waste.

However, once the debris breaks down into microplastics, recovery is virtually impossible. So

what can be done?

The most impactful solution is to stop plastic waste from entering our oceans in thef irst place. This is easier
said than done, and has a lot more to do with national and corporate practices than the individual. Improved
waste management systems, recycling processes, and the reduction of single-use plastics would play a
significant role in pollution reduction.

As an individual, however, you can do your part to make a difference:

Sign up for EHN's plastic pollution newsletter to stay up to date on the latest on plastic waste.
Avoid single-use plastics. Use reusable shopping bags, takeout containers, travel mugs, straws.

Take the Plastic Pollution Coalition pledge to avoid single use plastics.
 Limit your purchasing of plastic products. Most things plastic come in a more natural material
— glass food storage containers instead of plastic, bulk foods and toiletries instead of smaller-
sized, heavily packaged products, etc.
Wear clothing made from natural materials such as cotton, linen, or wool. Many
microplastics that enter the ocean come from our clothing! Clothing made with synthetic
materials — polyester, nylon — shed microparticles in the wash that then enter our water
systems.

There are now products available to catch microbes that are shed from your clothing. Do
some research on microbeer alters and kind a product that kts your lifestyle.

Clean up around your community! Grab a bag and collect litter from the side of the road,
parks, kelps, sidewalks, and more. Collecting plastic before it finds its way into a gutter or a
body of water is an easy way to help mitigate the pollution.
Petition for change. If this matters to you (and it should!), let others know. Find like-
minded people in your community, speak to local legislators, and/or call your senators
and representatives.

Reference
Gwen Ranniger.(2021) Ocean plastic pollution. Retrieved from https://www.ehn.org/ocean-plastic-pollution-
2654378379.html

COVID-19 Has Worsened

the Ocean Plastic Pollution
Problem
A drastic increase in use of masks and gloves, plus a decline in recycling
programs, is threatening the health of the seas
By Dave Ford on August 17, 2020

Credit: Bryan Liscinsky

Eight million metric tons of plastic waste enter the oceans every year. This equates to one
garbage truck’s worth of plastic being dumped into our oceans every minute. The total
weight is the equivalent of 90 aircraft carriers. On top of that, models project that by
2050, there will be more plastic by weight than fish in the oceans.
This is tragic for many reasons. Whales, fish, seabirds, turtles and many other animals
are

eating the plastic and dying en masse. There are many studies in process exploring the
relationship between human health problems and consuming fish that contain
microplastics (bottles and other single-use items that have broken down). Oceanic
ecosystems around the world have been ravaged by plastic waste.
This, of course, was all pre-COVID-19. 
At the outset, it seemed that there might be an environmental silver lining to the global
pandemic. With social distancing keeping people off the roads and out of the skies, air
quality has seen drastic improvements around the world. Carbon emissions are projected
to fall by 4 percent in 2020 compared to 2019. In China, the extended shuttering of
factories temporarily cleared the country’s infamous smog and significantly lowered
pollution rates. Perhaps an even more enduring result of the coronavirus may be wildlife
conservation efforts in Asia, thanks to enhanced scrutiny of wet markets (where it’s
suspected the virus made the leap to humans). Vietnam, one of the biggest offenders, has
recently banned all wildlife imports and closed all of its wildlife markets.  The good news
has been—well, really good.
However, the same cannot be said for our oceans, which have been hard hit in recent
months. COVID-19 triggered an estimated global use of 129 billion face masks and 65
billion gloves every month. If we stitched together all of the masks manufactured already,
and projected to be produced, we’d be able to cover the entire landmass of Switzerland. 

Credit: Geoffrey Abraham

The practical problems with gloves and masks finding their way into our rivers and
oceans is that they can easily be mistaken for jellyfish, a favorite food of sea turtles.
Because of their elastic components, masks also have increased risks of entanglement for
a wide variety of fish, animals and birds. 
And that’s just PPE. When it comes to the rapid rise in single-use plastic resulting from
COVID-19, the story gets even more complicated.
The oil market collapsed, making plastic cheaper to use than ever. COVID, along with
OPEC politics, has contributed to a global crash in the oil markets. Oil and natural gas
(the latter of which was already at record low prices pre-COVID) are the key raw
materials used to make plastic. Their all-time low cost has increased the price disparity
between alternative materials (think cellulose, seaweed) and virgin plastic, which has
always been the most inexpensive way to package goods. To be financially competitive in
the marketplace, it is now extremely advantageous to package your goods in newly made,
cheap virgin plastic. 

Single-use plastic use is going through the roof as a result of increased takeout. With the
economic crisis making the average consumer more price-sensitive, affordable goods are
taking precedence over environmentally friendly ones. Since grocery items that come in
plastic are universally less expensive, those items are the go-to for cash-strapped
shoppers. And while takeout has been the saving grace for many restaurants, it’s also
contributing to the growing heap of single-use plastic globally. Much of this kind of plastic
is not recyclable. 2020 is on pace to see 30 percent more waste than 2019.
Recycling systems around the world are starting to break down because of COVID-19
budget strains. So, where does all this extra plastic go?
In the Western world, much of it ends up either in landfills (in North America) or
incinerated (in Europe), and a small amount—10 percent on average—gets recycled. The
U.S. has about 9,000 recycling facilities, most of which are run by municipalities and tied
to local budgets. As states bear the brunt of COVID-19-related health and unemployment
costs, some municipalities are suspending their recycling services. Peoria, Illinois, has
already cut recycling programs. Omaha and New Orleans are considering massive cuts to
save money as well. Lexington, Va., is also considering curbing its curbside recycling.

In the developing world, plastic often ends up mismanaged in open dumps, eventually

leaking into the environment, ultimately making its way into rivers and then into the
oceans. Much of the minimal funding directed to waste management infrastructure in
developing economies has been reappropriated as a result of the virus. So, what happens
in the U.S. and Europe is even further amplified in Indonesia, Brazil, India, Kenya,
Guatemala and Haiti. 
Fifteen million waste pickers in the developing world pick up plastic off the streets; out of
massive open landfills; and, in many cases, off beaches. In recent months, some waste-
picking communities have been forced to pick up twice as much plastic as they once did
for the same amount of money. In some cases, this discourages them from picking up
plastic at all, as other materials are more valuable.

As far as ocean plastics solutions go, waste pickers are an integral piece of the puzzle—the
last line of defense between plastic waste and the oceans. Given current market
conditions, many are not able to play this vital role.
Combine the breakdown of the recycling infrastructure in the West and in the developing
world with the COVID-19-related explosion of single-use plastic, and you have a plastic
tsunami gaining strength in our oceans.
I’m the founder of SoulBuffalo, which formed the Ocean Plastics Leadership Network
(OPLN), a community of 67 member organizations (activist to industry) working together
to innovate and actualize solutions to the ocean plastics crisis. We’re committed to
simplifying communications regarding the gravity of this crisis (so the average person can
understand the complexity) and accelerating solutions to this problem. WWF, Coca-Cola,
P&G, Greenpeace, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Dow, the Ocean Conservancy and
National Geographic are among the dozens of organizations on this “Leader-ship” with
us.
As a neutral party in a sea of conflicting, wildly variant viewpoints on how to solve this
crisis, SoulBuffalo believes tension equals progress. We’re surrounded by brilliant leaders
with compelling and often clashing perspectives. 
For example, while many of our NGO and industry partners are steadfastly dedicated to
repairing the recycling system, Greenpeace and many activist organizations believe the
system is fundamentally flawed, and that we should work to shut off single-use plastic at
the tap as soon as possible. It’s this clash of strategies that makes our network very
different, and also gives us deep insight into varied perspectives that lead to the vast array
of solutions out there.

Transparent supply chains are the first step, and need to accelerate rapidly. There is hope
and progress, and some key solutions and programs are paving the way for change. A
critical project led by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) took shape in June. The initiative,
called ReSource: Plastic, mostly flew under the radar in a news cycle largely covering the
virus, the social justice movement, and the most important presidential election in our
lifetime. While it may not have made the waves it deserved in the media, the initiative is a
huge step forward.

Despite our neutrality at the Ocean Plastics Leadership Network, there are specific cases
when we stand firmly behind movements in which we believe wholeheartedly. WWF’s
ReSource: Plastic initiative is one of these.

WWF is encouraging the top companies in the world to share their plastic footprint
publicly, including how much plastic they are currently making and putting in the
market, where it goes geographically and their best guess at what happens to it. Is it
recycled, landfilled, incinerated or mismanaged, ending up in open dumps or the
environment? Transparent accounting of the plastic that is getting into the system is the
first step, and in this, ReSource: Plastic has catalytic potential. The open data wheel has
begun to turn, with Coca-Cola, Starbucks, McDonald’s, Keurig Dr. Pepper and P&G
leading the charge and pulling back the curtain of their operations.

According to the first report, “Transparency 2020,” these five companies totaled 4.2
million metric tons of plastic collectively in 2018. For perspective that is 287,279 adult
blue whales weighing 330,000 pounds. (A side note: there are only 25,000 blue whales on
earth, so 4.2 million metrics tons of blue whales is 11.5 times the current living numbers.)
And this is just the annual plastic footprint of just five companies.

This disclosure is a giant leap. If there is courage in the corporate world, this initiative
qualifies, as there are clear risks. Open supply chain transparency will empower activist
organizations, like OPLN member Greenpeace, to use the data to push for changes they
are championing like plastic reduction goals (which no Fortune 500 company has publicly
committed to yet).

The findings from ReSource: Plastic with respect to the five launch partner companies
include:
 8 percent of the total amount of plastic was recycled.
 63 percent of the waste in the US ended up in landfills.
 41 percent in Europe was incinerated.
 74 percent in SE Asia was mismanaged.
Based on the synthesized data, WWF makes four recommendations to its partners and
the broader market:
1. Eliminate unnecessary products (think small non-recyclable items like straws).
2. Prioritize investment in sustainable production.
3. Work to double the global recycling rate.
4. Fill critical data gaps by demanding transparency from more companies.
In the spirit of the five member companies that are working with the WWF (and the three
more that just signed on), we urge other companies to step up and make the radical move
of being brave, open and transparent. The commitment of companies to sharing this vital
information is urgent and valiant. 
To protect the Earth’s oceans, the entire world must know exactly how much plastic is
manufactured, recycled, lost, burned or buried. When we have the data from the first 100
major brands, we’re going to be in far better shape, but it will just be the tip of the
iceberg. 
Many organizations in the world are calling 2030 the year that the ocean plastics crisis
must be solved, or else. And 2030 will be here before we know it. Especially with the
recent COVID-19 setbacks, we must do everything in our power to expedite solutions to
the plastics crisis. So much of this plastic will end up in our oceans. We must collectively
think bigger and faster, as the problem exponentially grows and gathers speed.
When full transparency of the entire global supply chain exists, the decisions made by
governments, industry and the NGO sector will be smarter, more tactical and ultimately
rooted in fact and fundamental science. Industry, activists and the consumers will all use
this data differently. We believe having the data readily available will allow all
stakeholders to put the pedal to the metal.
How can we ensure that the top 10,000—not just 100—companies share transparent
operational data in the next 10 years? If the world can embrace this fundamental mindset
shift toward urgency, and not just wave the red flag but act on it, we may be able to
collectively save our oceans by 2030. The choice is ours.

Reference

Dave Ford.(2020). COVID-19 Has Worsened the Ocean Plastic Pollution Problem. Retrieved from
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/covid-19-has-worsened-the-ocean-plastic-pollution-problem/
 Article 1

This article is mainly about the plastic pollution in aquatic systems may triple by 2040: UNEP. Nowadays, plastic
pollutions had bring a lot of bad impact towards the marine system and this had seriously affect the marine lifestyle.
According to the data in this article, around 23-37 million tonnes of waste could end up in the ocean by 2040, up from 9-14
million tonnes a year in 2016. This shows that plastic pollution is getting serious and serious year by year. The plastic
nowadays had covered almost the full surface of ocean . A new report by the United Nations Environment
Programme(UNEP) has rung an alarm bells , the amounts of plastics in oceans has estimated around 75-199 millions
tonnes. If actions did not carry out immediately , the emissions of plastics waste into marine ecosystems are projected
nearly triple by 2040. It also mentioned that extreme pressures are being exerted on earth due to plastic pollution and need
urgent action to offset it.

Plastic is considered as biodegradable that may take hundreds of years to degrade in oceans. The main sources of marine
litter and plastic pollution are land based. Plastic are also able to alter global carbon cycling through its effect on plankton
and primary production in marine, freshwater and terrestrial systems. The marine ecosystems also play an important role in
sequestering carbon. It can balance the carbon in the earth by preventing the happening of global warming. In conclusion,
everyone has their own responsible to protect the ocean as it play an important role in this planet. We should reduce the
usage of plastic bags especially when shopping and should bring our own recycle bag and the use of disposable dishware
and food box should be reduced. The plastic should be modified into biodegradable plastic so that it can easy to be
decomposed and able to reduce pollution.

Article 2

Hi my name is daniel lim jin yi. Today I will going to present the article 4 which the title of ocean plastic pollution. Ocean
plastic pollution had becomed a serious problem nowadays. from the article , every year more than 8 millions tons of plastic waste are
flow into ocean. Plastic had make up almost 80% off all marine debris from surface until the deepest of the oceans. By 2050, there are
expected the number of plastic in ocean is more than fishes.

Let’s see how the plastic end up in the ocean. There is a variety of ways that plastic end up in the ocean. First and foremost,
the Litter, include the plastic bags , container, packaging are swept into drains and working downs into river finally into the
ocean. Next ,illegal disposing plastic trash on beaches may be also end up in the ocean. Besides that,the Industrial by
products from improperly managed production process. Lastly, Microplastics from cosmetic and hygiene products going
down the drain.

There are several impacts of ocean plastic pollutions. Firstly, it will cause the death of marine life. Many marine species
will mistaken that plastic fragments are food and will eat them , finally end up with dying. The food chain also can be
affected. This is because the plastic pollution can cause the death of marine organism or even reduce their production of
offspring and it will also cause the far reaches of microplastics. In a nutshell, the issue of ocean plastic pollution is getting
serious and serious, so we should do our part to protect the ocean . We should limit the purchasing of plastic products. For
example, we can use glass food storage box instead of plastic food storage box. Cleaning up the community around us by
collecting the plastic wastes beside the road, in the park or at the sidewalks and throwing them into recycle bins are able to
overcome the ocean plastic pollution. Wearing clothes that made from natural materials such as cotton or wool and Have
awareness of ocean plastic pollution are also able to overcome the ocean plastic pollutions.
 Article 3

The main information of this article is about Covid- 19 has worsened the ocean plastic pollution problem. How covid -19
covid -19 can cause the ocean plastic pollution? A drastic increase in the usage of medical plastic products such as medical
mask and medical hand gloves during the pandemic of covid-19. Because of these plastic items after using must be
disposed , most of the people disposed them into the drains and this plastic items finally flow into the ocean and cause the
plastic pollution to ocean. when this plastic flow into the ocean will cause the marine organisms mistaken that these plastic
wastes are their food and eat them, finally they die because of eating the plastic wastes. Apart from that, during the
pandemic of covid-19 , recycling systems around the world are starting to break down because of covid-19 budget strains.
So, where does these extra plastics go to when they are not be recycled? Because of lacking budget to recycle these plastic
items , most of the country will directly disposed them into the sea , this are able to save a lot of money. In this article, it
also had mentioned that WWF had made some recommendations that are eliminate unnecessary products ( think small non-
recycle items like straws), prioritize investment in sustainable product , work to double the global recycling rate and fill
critical data gaps by demanding transparency from more companies . In conclusion, everybody in this world should be
concerned about this ocean plastic pollution issues and should takes some action to overcome this issue so that can protect
the ocean and save the marine life . Reducing the usage of plastic is the most effective way to overcome the ocean plastic
pollution issue.