How humanity lost control of plastic pollution
SalonEarly in the pandemic, many scientists noticed an odd, incongruous side effect of business closures and widespread shelter-in-place orders: a concomitant reduction in air pollution. Yet new reports appear to show that any such hope was misplaced, as whatever drop in air pollution the pandemic may have indirectly caused was displaced by a massive surge in plastic waste. Indeed, that poses a significant long-term problem for Earth's oceans, where much plastic waste ends up — and highlights the need for legislation to make more single-use goods biodegradable or develop large-scale public works projects to manage plastic pollution. The report also pointed to the increase in packaged take-out meals and home-delivered groceries and the increased pressure on waste management facilities as contributing factors to the spike in plastic pollution. Duke University student Caroline Gordon wrote something similar for the Nicholas School of the Environment, pointing out that "at least 700 species worldwide have been affected by plastic ocean pollution, including 84% of sea turtle species, 44% of all seabird species, and 43% of all marine mammal species.