September 20, 2024

After 20 years of evidence on plastic pollution, it is now time to act

Group of international scientists urge international plan to address the harmful impacts of microplastics

Plastic pollution has caused long-lasting harm on a global scale, and failure to address this scourge could bring “a high risk of irreversible environmental damage”, according to a new article published overnight (Thursday 19 September) in the prestigious international journal, Science.

Dr Karen Raubenheimer, from the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) at the University of Wollongong, is part of a team of 20 international researchers who contributed to the paper, ‘Twenty years of microplastics pollution research – what have we learned?’,  which calls for global action to address pollution from plastics and microplastics, in particular.

It marks the 20^th anniversary of the first ever study, also published in Science, which coined the term ‘microplastics’ to describe the microscopic fragments of plastics that have been found in ecosystems around the world, from the depths of the ocean to the top of Mount Everest.

Both the original study and the new study were led by Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS, Head of the International Marine Litter Research Unit at the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom, and a co-ordinator of the Scientists Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty.

Professor Thompson said that so much more information has become available on the detrimental impacts of plastics since the landmark original study.

“After 20 years of research there is clear evidence of harmful effects from microplastic pollution on a global scale. That includes physical harm to wildlife, harm to societies and cultures, and a growing evidence base of harm to humans. Added to that is the fact that microplastics are persistent contaminants, and once in the environment they are virtually impossible to remove. There are still unknowns, but during the 20 years since our first study the amount of plastic in our oceans has increased by around 50 per cent, only further emphasising the pressing need for action.”

Dr Raubenheimer, who joined Professor Thompson and a team of experts in marine biology, sustainability, environmental psychology, global plastics policy, and risk assessment on the paper, said microplastics were once considered to be confined to the ocean, but that was no longer true.

“Traditionally, we have thought of plastic pollution as a marine problem. And it is. But it doesn’t stop there. Plastic pollution is everywhere now. It doesn’t stop at the boundary between land and ocean, and it is now in our bodies. We urgently need a harmonised approach to address the problem at source,” she said.

“This is an incredibly complex issue, one that requires a collective and global approach. No country or ecosystem is immune and no one country can solve this alone.”

^{Dr Karen Raubenheimer. Photo: Paul Jones}

The researchers have found that existing national legislation alone is insufficient to address the challenge and the United Nations’ Plastic Pollution Treaty – which will undergo its fifth and last round of deliberations in November 2024 – presents an opportunity to accelerate global action.

However, for such a treaty to be truly effective it needs to commit to an overall reduction in plastic production together with measures to reduce the emission and release of microplastic particles along the entire plastics life cycle.

Dr Raubenheimer, who has worked extensively on design options for the plastics treaty to inform negotiations mandated by the United Nations Environmental Assembly, the world's highest-level decision-making body on the environment, said the world’s leaders must now come together to address the issue.

“There is no longer time for excuses. Microplastics have been found in every corner of the globe, in every ecosystem, in the bodies of wildlife and humans. They are almost impossible to remove and the effects are unequivocally harmful to the health of humanity and the health of the planet,” Dr Raubenheimer said. “We are well overdue for a global solution.”

Since the publication of the first study in 2004, an estimated 7,000 research studies have been conducted on microplastics, providing considerable evidence in their sources and impacts as well as potential solutions.

The latest study in Science was conducted by researchers from the University of Plymouth, University of Bangor (UK); EA – Earth Action (Switzerland); University of Vienna (Austria); University of Wollongong (Australia); and Wageningen University (Netherlands).

UOW is committed to addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which provide a shared blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for everyone. This project addresses Goal 12, Responsible Consumption and Production; Goal 14, Life Below Water; and Goal 17, Partnership for the Goals.