Microplastics are small plastic particles in the environment that are generally smaller than 1mm down to the micrometer range. The researchers found huge amounts of them in the Arctic snow; their study claims to be the first that contains data on contamination of snow by microplastics.

Body:

Microfibres from washing of textiles, microbeads used in cosmetics and even paint from land run-offs can dump microplastics in the ocean. Plastic bottles, bags, fishing nets, and food packaging are some examples of the larger pieces that break down into microplastics, eventually finding their way into the soil, water and the air we breathe. According to a 2017 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) report, microplastics are estimated to constitute up to 30% of marine litter polluting the oceans.

Concerns posed by Microplastics:

• Microplastics escape the filtration and treatment processes for waste water and end up in sites of nature.
• This is resulting in significant global impacts on wildlife from marine environment pollution.
• Microplastics are killing the fish before they reach reproductive age, stunted growth and altering the behaviour in some fishes.
• Microplastics are found in the viscera of dead sea birds, reptiles like turtles, whales etc.
• World’s coastal countries currently do not have the concerned recycling policies or the technical capabilities, and so large quantities of plastic are not recycled and enter landfill.
• The durable properties of plastics make them persistent and slow to degrade in the environment entering the food chains.
• It holds the potential for both bioaccumulation and biomagnification.
• Once the microplastics enter foodchain, they carry synthetic chemical compounds such as PCBs and PAHs, which are carcinogenic.
• Unlike POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants) or chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), Plastic pollution has received little attention in terms of international agreements.
• Microplastics make up 94 percent of an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic in the patch. But that only amounts to eight percent of the total tonnage

Measures needed:

• Local actions are required for mitigating plastic pollution, using mechanisms such as bans on plastic bags, maximum daily limits for emissions into watersheds, and incentives for fishing gear retrieval.
• Microbeads in cosmetics, daily use items must be banned globally.
• Countries should come together to establish measurable reduction targets for plastic waste. A meaningful international agreement—one with clearly defined waste reduction targets is the need of the hour.
• Effective policies must take into account all stages of the lifecycle of plastic—connecting producers to users and ultimately to waste managers.
• Nonprofits like 5 Gyres are now pushing an agenda toward public awareness, corporate responsibility and the idea of a circular economy — an economy that focuses on keeping waste to a minimum while maximizing materials’ use.
• Fossil fuel subsidies incentivise the plastic market. Hence, Countries should end fossil fuel subsidies. Annually, 4–8% of oil is used to produce raw plastic.
• India has a major problem dealing with plastics, particularly single-use shopping bags that reach dumping sites, rivers and wetlands along with other waste.
• The most efficient way to deal with the pollution is to control the production and distribution of plastics.
• Banning single-use bags and making consumers pay a significant amount for the more durable ones is a feasible solution.
• Enforcing segregation of waste will retrieve materials and greatly reduce the burden on the environment.
• Waste separation can be achieved in partnership with the community, and presents a major employment opportunity.
• Eco-friendly substitutes (cloth/paper/jute bags, leaves/areca leaf plates, paper straws) should be developed. For this, scientific and financial support (soft loans and subsidies) is required.

Conclusion:

Marine plastic pollution is a “planetary crisis,” and we should hope for a “Paris-style” global treaty aimed at tackling it. We cannot transform our world into a ‘plastic planet’. What is needed is collective public effort to stop plastic pollution and safeguard our ecosystem/biodiversity.