By mid-century the oceans and continents of planet Earth will be covered with layers of plastic wastes due to human activity, according to the results of research undertaken by staff of the University of Leicester.
The study, which was published in the journal Anthropocene, scientists studied the evidence that we live in the era of the Anthropocene — the era in which humanity has a serious impact on the Geology of the planet. Scientists concluded that the planet’s surface varies greatly because of production of long-lived materials, and as a result we are in the “Plastic Age”.
Jan Zalasiewicz, Professor of paleobiology at the Department of Geology, University of Leicester, explained:
“Our grandparents almost didn’t know plastic when we were kids. Now, however, plastic materials are almost indispensable in our lives. They are used everywhere: in food packaging, containers for water and milk, cartons of eggs, yogurt and chocolate, in packaging for medicines. In addition, plastic is a major part of our clothes.”
“Plastic can be found anywhere on the Earth, from mountaintops to the depths of the ocean — and one day in the distant future it will become a fossil. We produce a billion tons of plastic every three years. If all the plastic produced in the last few decades, was the cling wrap, it could cover the whole Earth. Given the constant growth of production, by mid-century there will be another several layers of such imaginary”.
The researchers say that plastic has such a lasting impact on the Geology of the planet because of its inertness and almost complete immunity to biodegradation. As a result, when the area is polluted with plastic waste, they become part of the soil, are in the sea and kills the plankton, fish and seabirds.
On materials Science Daily