Study: Plastic Pollution Flowing into Oceans to Triple by 2040
2020-07-29
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1The amount of plastic waste flowing into the ocean could triple in 20 years unless businesses and governments act to reduce plastic production.
2That warning comes from a new study that appeared recently in the publication Science.
3The study was carried out by scientists and industry experts for The Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ, an advising business.
4The study, called "Breaking the Plastic Wave," identified measures that could reduce plastic pollution that gets into the ocean by 80 percent.
5If no action is taken, however, the amount of plastic going into the sea every year will rise from 11 million metric tons to 29 million metric tons by 2040, the study said.
6"Plastic pollution is something that affects everyone. It's not a 'your problem and not my problem'. It's not one country's problem. It's everyone's problem," said Winnie Lau.
7She is a senior official at Pew and one of the lead writers of the study.
8"It's going to get worse if we don't do anything," she added.
9The report suggests redirecting hundreds of billions of dollars in plastic production investment into alternative materials.
10The report also calls for recycling centers and waste collection expansion in developing countries.
11Such action would require a sharp change in how the energy industry does things.
12The industry has been building new chemical plants around the world to increase plastic output.
13This is happening as the industry's traditional fuel business has decreased because of a rise in cleaner energy sources.
14The amount of plastic manufactured each year has been climbing since 1950 when 2 million metric tons were produced.
15By 2017, that number had risen to 348 million metric tons.
16The study recommends that governments put in place laws to discourage new plastic production and provide more financial support for reusable alternatives.
17The plastic industry has pushed back against government bans on single-use plastic products.
18Some of the biggest buyers of plastic are major companies like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle and Unilever.
19These companies have all made promises to use a greater amount of recycled material in the future.
20But current promises from businesses and governments will not reduce plastic enough.
21In fact, the Pew and SYSTEMIQ study found that current measures would only reduce the plastic flowing into the ocean by 7 percent by 2040.
22To cut the flow of ocean plastic by 80 percent, the study said that paper or other materials that break down naturally must be used instead of single-use plastic.
23It also notes that packaging for products should be redesigned.
24Some people have criticized the study for including burning, chemical recycling and plastic-to-fuel factories as ways to deal with plastic waste.
25Critics note that these methods involve the release of heat-trapping carbon gasses while also helping to continue with plastic production.
26Single-use plastic products have become increasingly popular during the coronavirus crisis, the International Solid Waste Association has said.
27Face coverings and latex gloves are washing up each day on empty beaches in Asia.
28And landfills worldwide are filled with record amounts of food containers and delivery packaging.
29I'm Ashley Thompson.
1The amount of plastic waste flowing into the ocean could triple in 20 years unless businesses and governments act to reduce plastic production. That warning comes from a new study that appeared recently in the publication Science. 2The study was carried out by scientists and industry experts for The Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ, an advising business. The study, called "Breaking the Plastic Wave," identified measures that could reduce plastic pollution that gets into the ocean by 80 percent. 3If no action is taken, however, the amount of plastic going into the sea every year will rise from 11 million metric tons to 29 million metric tons by 2040, the study said. 4"Plastic pollution is something that affects everyone. It's not a 'your problem and not my problem'. It's not one country's problem. It's everyone's problem," said Winnie Lau. She is a senior official at Pew and one of the lead writers of the study. 5"It's going to get worse if we don't do anything," she added. 6The report suggests redirecting hundreds of billions of dollars in plastic production investment into alternative materials. The report also calls for recycling centers and waste collection expansion in developing countries. 7Such action would require a sharp change in how the energy industry does things. The industry has been building new chemical plants around the world to increase plastic output. This is happening as the industry's traditional fuel business has decreased because of a rise in cleaner energy sources. 8The amount of plastic manufactured each year has been climbing since 1950 when 2 million metric tons were produced. By 2017, that number had risen to 348 million metric tons. 9The study recommends that governments put in place laws to discourage new plastic production and provide more financial support for reusable alternatives. 10The plastic industry has pushed back against government bans on single-use plastic products. Some of the biggest buyers of plastic are major companies like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle and Unilever. These companies have all made promises to use a greater amount of recycled material in the future. 11But current promises from businesses and governments will not reduce plastic enough. In fact, the Pew and SYSTEMIQ study found that current measures would only reduce the plastic flowing into the ocean by 7 percent by 2040. 12To cut the flow of ocean plastic by 80 percent, the study said that paper or other materials that break down naturally must be used instead of single-use plastic. It also notes that packaging for products should be redesigned. 13Some people have criticized the study for including burning, chemical recycling and plastic-to-fuel factories as ways to deal with plastic waste. Critics note that these methods involve the release of heat-trapping carbon gasses while also helping to continue with plastic production. 14Single-use plastic products have become increasingly popular during the coronavirus crisis, the International Solid Waste Association has said. Face coverings and latex gloves are washing up each day on empty beaches in Asia. And landfills worldwide are filled with record amounts of food containers and delivery packaging. 15I'm Ashley Thompson. 16The Reuters news agency reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 17________________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19triple -v. to cause something to grow three times (or 200 percent) larger 20alternative -n. something that can be chosen instead of something else 21discourage -v. to make a person or group less likely to do something 22packaging -n. protective material that encloses something so that it can be transported without damage 23latex -n. a rubber-like material