Plastic entering the oceans has increased by an “unimaginable” quantity since 2005 and might nearly treble by 2040 if no further solution, study says. Peer-reviewed studies by the 5 Gyres Institute, a U.S. organization that campaigns to reduce plastic pollution, show an estimated 171 trillion pieces of plastic were floating in the oceans by 2019.
If globally enforceable laws are not put in place, marine plastic pollution might increase by 160% by 2040, as predicted. A specific threat to the oceans is microplastics, which not only pollute water but also harm marine species’ internal organs when they take the plastic for food.
Read more news about Ocean Treaty: After a Decade of Negotiations, a Historic Agreement is Achieved
Experts said that people nowadays underestimate the issue of marine pollution in the oceans. To create a binding agreement, the United Nations started negotiations addressing plastic pollution in Uruguay.
Greenpeace, the environmental organization, stated that without a strong international agreement, plastic entering the oceans might triple by 2050 and double over the next ten to fifteen years. On March 5, 2023, a different international agreement was approved to aid in safeguarding biodiversity on the world’s high seas.
