170 Trillion Pieces of Plastic Waste weighing 2 Million Tonnes Floating in Oceans

Oceans of our planet earth are polluted by around 170 trillion pieces of plastic waste that weigh approximately 2 million tonnes. Revealing this information, the researchers of 5 Gyres Institute, a US organisation that campaigns to reduce plastic pollution, warned that plastic pollution of oceans could rise 2.6-fold by 2040 if no major steps were initiated globally to curb it.

The institute came up with this panicking information by analyzing the trends of ocean plastic from 1979 to 2019. Plastics polluting world’s oceans increased by an “unprecedented” amount since 2005 and it can nearly triple by 2040 if no further action is taken.

Plastic pollution from rivers and coastlines has also increased. The study indicated that the rapid rise in plastic pollution in the oceans after 2005 coincides with the sudden increase in plastic production in the world.

This study analysed the surface-level plastic pollution data from 11,777 ocean stations in six major marine regions covering the period from 1979 to 2019.

Experts involved in this study point out that microplastic are hazardous to the oceans. They not only contaminating water but also damaging the internal organs of marine animals.

In November 2022, the United Nations started negotiations on an agreement to tackle plastic pollution.