Do we need more research on the environmental impacts of plastics?
Loading...
Date
2022
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
IOP Publishing
Abstract
We question whether the rapid growth in research on the impacts of environmental plastics over
the last decade has substantially improved our understanding of these impacts. By the mid-1990s,
the major environmental and economic impacts of plastics were sufficiently well known to
conclude that they posed a significant environmental threat. Accordingly, the focus of the Third
International Marine Debris Conference shifted from researching impacts to devising solutions.
We should re-embrace this message, and study how best to change the inappropriate human
behaviours that lie at the heart of the plastics crisis. The main role of natural scientists should be to
provide robust monitoring data to assess the success of the various mitigation efforts.
Description
Keywords
Recycling, Land pollution, Soil contamination, Plastics, Marine debris
Citation
Ryan, P. G., & Chitaka, T. Y. (2022). Do we need more research on the environmental impacts of plastics?. Environmental Research Letters, 17(9), 090201. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac8ab5