Environment: Plastic pollution of the oceans is expected to triple by 2040 - 20 minutes

If plastic is now part of our daily lives, it is also the case for fish and other marine animals. According to a study published in the journal Science , if no action is taken, the amount of plastic that ends up in the sea each year will drop from 11 million tonnes to 29 million tonnes. By 2040, 600 million tonnes would flow into the ocean in this way. This is the equivalent of the weight of three million blue whales.

Major plastics makers, including ExxonMobil, Dow and Chevron Phillips Chemical, have pledged to tackle plastic pollution but continue to ramp up production as they focus solely on cleaning up waste.

Repercussions on society

Scientists, experts and industry experts have just released a study commissioned by the American research center PEW and the company SYSTEMIQ and provide solutions to reverse the trend.

"Plastic pollution is a problem that affects everyone," said Innie Lau, an executive at Pew and co-author of the study. “In some places, garbage clogs the waterways and causes flooding. In others, they wash up on the beaches and people cannot enjoy their vacations. In some communities, it affects fishing. This has very broad repercussions on society. "

There are solutions

Reducing the production of new plastics, subsidizing recyclable substitute materials, reusing containers: solutions exist according to these experts. “Immediate and coordinated action could reverse the current trend in environmental plastic pollution,” the researchers write.

Even if governments and businesses kept their current commitments, that would not be enough. Plastic pollution in the oceans would only reduce by 7% by 2040.

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