Global ecological, social and economic impacts of marine plastic

Beaumont, Nicola; Aanesen, Margrethe; Austen, Melanie C.; Bӧrger, Tobias; Clark, James R.; Cole, Matthew; Hooper, Tara; Lindeque, Penelope K.; Pascoe, Christine; Wyles, Kayleigh J.

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.03.022

Cited by 646 publications

(347 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…In fact, the European public report high concern about this wildlife impact, but lower concern about economic costs or human health impacts (e.g., Hartley et al, 2018). Beaumont et al (2019) have recently provided the first global assessment of marine plastic pollution, using an ecosystem services approach that takes into consideration social (including health) impacts, in addition to ecological and economic impacts.…”

Section: Marine Plastic Pollution: Changing Behavior and Engaging Commentioning

confidence: 99%

Moving Toward an Agenda on Ocean Health and Human Health in Europe

Borja¹,

White

Berdalet

et al. 2020

Front. Mar. Sci.

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The integrated study of ocean health and human health is an emerging area of increasing global importance. Growing evidences demonstrate that the health of the ocean and the health of humans have always been and will continue to be, inextricably linked. Our actions toward the oceans will significantly influence the future of the whole planet and, in turn, our own health. The current review of these issues arose from a summer school in San Sebastian (Spain), from 5th to 7th June, 2019. An interdisciplinary group of researchers discussed key risks (e.g., microbial pollution, pharmaceuticals, harmful algal blooms, plastic pollution) and benefits (e.g., bathing waters, recreation, tourism) of the seas and global ocean for humanity; and debated the future priorities and potential actions for a joint Oceans and Human Health research and governance programme in Europe. The aim of this review is to contribute to the emerging scientific agenda on ocean health and human health, as well as coordinate efforts with stakeholders, policy makers and the general public. This agenda operates within the larger context of the upcoming United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development: 2021-2030, which strives to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), including healthy (human) lives and well-being (SDG3) and conserving and sustainably using the oceans (SDG14), among others. In addition to summarizing some of the key risks and benefits, therefore, we describe the governance of oceans and health interactions (especially in Europe), and we finish by proposing a list of elements for potential future research priorities on oceans and human health.

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Section: Marine Plastic Pollution: Changing Behavior and Engaging Commentioning

confidence: 99%

Moving Toward an Agenda on Ocean Health and Human Health in Europe

Borja¹,

White

Berdalet

et al. 2020

Front. Mar. Sci.

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“…As found by Beaumont et al (2019), the direct and indirect costs of marine plastic debris are significant and include the loss of seafood as a human food source, a negative impact to heritage through the loss of culturally significant and iconic marine megafauna, and reduced marine ecosystem services. The authors postulate that marine plastic debris causes an annual loss of $500-$2,500 billion in reduced marine ecosystem services, which equates to $3,300 -$33,000 per MT (Beaumont et al, 2019).…”

Section: Economic Impacts Of Plastic Littermentioning

confidence: 99%

Policy Instruments to Reduce Consumption of Expanded Polystyrene Food Service Ware in the Usa

Wagner

2020

Detritus

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There is global recognition that waste plastic is a ubiquitous pollutant in the built and natural environments. A component of plastic litter and debris is single-use, expanded polystyrene (EPS) food service ware. Reducing the consumption of EPS food service ware is challenging because reuse is not feasible, recycling is not economically viable, and composting is not possible. In the absence of national action to reduce EPS in the USA, local governments have taken the lead on enacting ordinances to eliminate or reduce EPS food service ware. This paper examined the variety of policy instruments that can or have been used by local governments in the USA to reduce EPS food service ware. Because of the inabilities to reuse, recycle, and/or compost EPS, the most frequently used policy instrument has been a ban. As of December 2019, there were 249 local bans in the USA covering 12.85% of the nation's population: of these bans, 9.6% were partial bans restricting distribution only on government and public property, 65.9% were narrow bans that ban distribution by restaurants and food providers, 8.8% were full bans that include the narrow ban and also ban using EPS food packaging by grocery stores, and 15.7% adopted an expanded ban that includes the full ban and also baned other single-use plastic food ware related items including the selling or distributing of EPS coolers and single-use plastic utensils, straws, stirrers, lids, cups, plates, and containers.

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“…In financial terms, the cost of marine plastic pollution has been reckoned at USD2.5 trillion per year. 99 'The Ocean Cleanup Project' 100 is a non-government environmental engineering organisation based in the Netherlands, which develops technology with the aim to remove plastic that is present in the ocean. The methodology employs barriers placed in ocean gyres to collect marine debris, as the barrier is pushed by wind and current, and it is intended to emplace 60 such units in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch by 2021 to remove 50% 101 of the debris there over a 5-year period.…”

Section: Ocean Cleanup Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solving the plastic problem: From cradle to grave, to reincarnation

Rhodes¹

2019

Science Progress

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Plastic packaging accounts for 36% of all plastics made, but amounts to 47% of all plastic waste; 90% of all plastic items are used once and then discarded, which corresponds to around 50% of the total mass of plastics manufactured. Evidence for the ubiquity of microplastic pollution is accumulating rapidly, and wherever such material is sought, it seems to be found. Thus, microplastics have been identified in Arctic ice, the air, food and drinking water, soils, rivers, aquifers, remote maintain regions, glaciers, the oceans and ocean sediments, including waters and deep sea sediments around Antarctica, and within the deepest marine trenches of the Earth. They have also been detected in the bodies of animals, including humans, and as being passed along the hierarchy of food chains, up to marine top predators. Evidence has also been presented that microplastics are able to cross different life stages of mosquito that use different habitats -larva (feeding) to pupa (non-feeding) to adult terrestrial (flying) -and therefore can be spread from aquatic systems by flying insects. The so-called 'missing plastic problem' appears to be, in part, due to limitations in sampling methods, that is, many of the very small microplastic particles may simply escape capture in the trawl nets that are typically employed to collect them, but have been evidenced in grab-sampling experiments. Moreover, it is simply not possible to measure entirely through the vast, oceanic volumes of the oceans. It can, however, be concluded with some confidence that the majority of the plastic is not located at the sea surface, and indeed, several different sinks have been proposed for microplastics, including the sea floor and sediments, the ocean column itself, ice sheets, glaciers and soils. The treatment of land with sewage sludge is also thought to make a significant contribution of microplastics to soil. A substantial amount of airborne microparticulate pollution is created by the abrasion of tyres on road surfaces (and other 'non-exhaust' sources), meaning that even electric vehicles are not 'clean' in this regard, despite their elimination of tailpipe PM 2.5 and PM 10 emissions. The emergence of nanoplastics in the environment poses a new set of potential threats, although any impacts on human health are not yet known, save, as indicated from model studies. While improved design, manufacture, collection, reuse, repurposing and reprocessing/recycling of plastic items are necessary, overwhelmingly, a Article Rhodes 219 curbing in the use of plastic materials in the first place is demanded, particularly from single-use packaging. However, plastic pollution is just one element in the overall matrix of a changing climate ('the world's woes') and must be addressed as part of an integrated consideration of how we use all resources, fossil and otherwise, and the need to change our expectations, goals and lifestyles. In this effort, the role of deglobalisation/relocalisation may prove critical: thus, food and other necessities might be produced more on...

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Global ecological, social and economic impacts of marine plastic

Cited by 646 publications

References 36 publications

Moving Toward an Agenda on Ocean Health and Human Health in Europe

Moving Toward an Agenda on Ocean Health and Human Health in Europe

Policy Instruments to Reduce Consumption of Expanded Polystyrene Food Service Ware in the Usa

Solving the plastic problem: From cradle to grave, to reincarnation

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