New Study Sets Numerical Target for Efforts to Combat Marine Plastic Pollution

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Researchers from Kyushu University in Japan have set a numerical goal for international efforts to combat marine plastic pollution for the first time. According to a thorough assessment on the amount of plastic trash that is now in the oceans, by 2035, plastic littering needs to be reduced by at least 32% in order to stop future harm to the marine ecology.

The East China and Yellow Seas were mentioned in the report as being extremely polluted.

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The study report pointed out that marine plastic pollution has been a growing issue. The minimal interventions suggest that the situation may only get worse in future. Earlier in 2022, the research team headed by Professor Atsuhiko Isobe from Kyushu University's Research Institute for Applied Mechanics had reported that oceans contain around 25.3 million metric tons of plastic waste, out of which nearly two-thirds cannot be even monitored.

The main emphasis of the study is how plastic garbage travels once it is discharged into bodies of water like rivers and oceans. It uses cutting-edge computer models to monitor the mobility and breakdown of polymers.

The breakdown of bigger plastic particles into smaller ones takes time. The study discovered that even if littering stops today, the amount of microplastics will still rise.