Roger Harrabin
Published: 28 Sep 2021, 08:30 pm
Plastic waste || Photo: BBC
Scientists are warning
politicians immersed in climate change policy not to forget that the world is
also in the midst of a plastic waste crisis.
They fear that so much energy is
being expended on emissions policy that tackling plastic pollution will be
sidelined.
A paper from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Bangor University says plastic pollution and climate change are not separate.
It says the issues are actually
intertwined - and each makes the other worse.
Manufacturing plastic items adds to greenhouse gas emissions, while extreme weather such as floods and typhoons associated with a heating planet will disperse and worsen plastic pollution in the sea.
The researchers' highlight that
marine species and ecosystems, such as coral reefs, are taking a double hit
from both problems.
Reefs and other vulnerable habitats are also suffering from seas heating, ocean acidification, pollution from farms and industry, dredging, development, tourism, and over-fishing.
And in addition, sea ice is a
major trap for microplastics, which will be released into the ocean as the ice
melts due to warming.
The researchers want politicians to
address all these issues – and not to allow climate change to take all the
policy “bandwidth”.
Professor Heather Koldewey from
ZSL said: “Climate change is undoubtedly one of the most critical global
threats of our time. Plastic pollution is also having a global impact; from the
top of Mount Everest to the deepest parts of our ocean.
“Both are having a detrimental
effect on ocean biodiversity; with climate change heating ocean temperatures
and bleaching coral reefs, to plastic damaging habitats and causing fatalities
among marine species.
“The compounding impact of both
crises just exacerbates the problem. It’s not a case of debating which issue is
most important, it’s recognizing that the two crises are interconnected and
require joint solutions.”
Professor Koldewey added: “The
biggest shift will be moving away from wasteful single-use plastic and from a
linear to a circular economy that reduces the demand for damaging fossil fuels.”
Helen Ford, from Bangor University, who led the study, said: “I have seen how even the most remote coral reefs are experiencing widespread coral death through global warming-caused mass bleaching. Plastic pollution is yet another threat to these stressed ecosystems.
“Our study shows that changes are
already occurring from both plastic pollution and climate change that are
affecting marine organisms across marine ecosystems and food webs, from the
smallest plankton to the largest whale.”
ZSL is urging world governments and policymakers to put nature at the heart of all decision-making in order to jointly tackle the combined global threats of climate change and biodiversity loss.
The writer of this article is Roger Harrabin, BBC environment analyst