Increased toxicity from plastic pollution in a warmer climate is highly likely to be affecting whole ecosystems, with potentially disproportionate impacts on apex predators such as orcas. Research published today in the journal Frontiers in Science, calls for urgent global action on microplastics to avoid irreversible ecological damage.
The authors, from Imperial College London, urge that non-essential single-use plastics should be eliminated and that new international standards for making plastics reusable and recyclable should be created.
They argue convincingly that the worsening impacts of climate change conditions turn plastics into more mobile, persistent and hazardous pollutants, by speeding up plastic breakdown into microplastics which then spread considerable distances and increase exposure for different species:
“Rising temperatures, humidity, and UV exposure all boost the breakdown of plastics. Furthermore, extreme storms, floods, and winds can increase fragmentation as well as dispersal of plastic waste – with six billion tons and rising – into landfill, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, atmospheric environments, and food webs.”
Plastic pollution and the climate are co-crises
Lead author Professor Frank Kelly, from Imperial’s School of Public Health, said, “Plastic pollution and the climate are co-crises that intensify each other. They also have origins – and solutions – in common. We urgently need a coordinated international approach to stop end-of-life plastics from building up in the environment”.
As the report shows, global annual plastic production rose 200-fold between 1950 and 2023, with its growth following the same line of average global temperature and carbon dioxide emissions:
The authors do acknowledge that for too long, these two issues have traditionally been treated as distinct, but also state, “…there is growing recognition that they are in fact closely interlinked, with respect to their ultimate origin, increasing threat level, and the potential for (non-additive) synergistic impacts to arise in combination”.
The report goes on to note that although there is still a shortage of studies quantifying the interactive impacts of climate change and microplastic pollution, some broad patterns appear to be emerging.
Plastics contribute to climate change and their dangers are exacerbated by it
The report explains that “…over 98% of plastics are made from chemicals sourced from fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas), with current manufacturing accounting for 12% of global oil consumption. Moreover, greenhouse gases (GHGs) are emitted at every stage of the plastic life cycle, from the extraction and transportation of fossil fuel feedstocks through production to end-of-life processes”.
The dangers of flooding associated with extreme weather events and its impact on remobilising discarded plastic waste are also explored:
“Flooding associated with extreme weather events and longer-term sea-level rise can (re)mobilize plastic debris trapped in coastal sediments. The majority of discarded plastics end up in landfills and open dumps, which are especially susceptible to flooding and erosion as they are commonly positioned on low-value, low-lying flood or coastal plains close to urban centers. A United Kingdom study predicted that the erosion of just one waste cell could release up to 3,860 tons of plastics into the Thames estuary.”
There were further concerns raised that the spread of plastics may also increase the transfer of other contaminants, such as PFAS chemicals:
“Microplastics can also act as ‘Trojan horses’ to transfer other contaminants like metals, pesticides, and PFAS ‘forever chemicals’. Climatic conditions may also enhance the adherence and transfer of these contaminants, as well as the leaching of hazardous chemicals such as flame retardants or plasticizers.”
Urgent action required on microplastics
The evidence showing increased amounts, spread, and harm of microplastics adds further impetus to calls for urgent action on plastic pollution. “Solutions require systemic change: cutting plastic at source, coordinated global policy such as the UN Global Plastics Treaty, and responsible, evidence-based innovation in materials and waste management”, said Kelly.
Co-author Dr Julia Fussell said we must rethink the whole approach towards using plastics in the first place: “A circular plastics economy is ideal. It must go beyond reduce, reuse, and recycle to include redesign, rethink, refuse, eliminate, innovate, and circulate – shifting away from the current linear take–make–waste model.”
On the other hand, their report praises public awareness and education around plastic pollution, citing an Australian study, where, “…80% of respondents showed a desire to reduce plastic use” and impacts caused by plastics in the oceans and waste production/disposal were rated most highly for seriousness out of a set of nine environmental issues. The authors state that, “Education and awareness of the problems produced by plastic pollution are important steps toward shifting behavior from using and throwing away to reducing, reusing, repurposing, and recycling”.
The report concludes with a reminder of why we should act:
“The future will not be free of plastics but going forward, it must become free of further microplastic pollution. The prospect that the plastics we produce, use and discard today could have global-scale, poorly reversible impacts in the future is compelling motivation to take the appropriate action now.”
It is to be hoped that the authors’ warnings will be heard.
