Source: UN News: Thursday, June 11, 2026 00:01 AM
From surgical gloves to water bottles, shopping bags and chewing gum, plastic has become a part of our daily lives. It is the epitome of convenience – but while its unsustainable nature has made us increasingly dependent on it, that very unsustainability is also suffocating the environment. When plastic reaches the ocean, large pieces of it can suffocate marine life and damage delicate habitats such as coral reefs. This plastic breaks down over time and turns into toxic microplastics, which reach the food chain and affect marine life. Even when plastic is completely physically broken down, its chemical elements remain and their effects continue for a long time.World Ocean Assessment According to , today more than 4,000 marine species are known to be affected by plastic pollution. In this assessment, a comprehensive analysis of the world’s oceans is presented based on the three pillars of sustainable development – environmental, economic and social. More than 650 experts have contributed to this 1,600-page report. Dr. Ian Butler, one of its editors, says that the entire marine system is being affected. According to him, plastic affects the food, metabolism, immune system, growth and reproduction of marine organisms. This weakens them, can cause their death and lead to changes in marine populations. On the occasion of World Oceans Day on June 8, let us know five important facts related to plastic pollution in the oceans:1. Plastic pollution in the oceans is still increasing. The amount of plastic in the oceans is continuously increasing. The main reasons for this are – improper waste management, throwing garbage in open places, wear and tear of microplastics and marine activities. It is estimated that every year 5 crore 21 lakh metric tonnes of plastic waste reaches the environment. Its regional forms are also different. Open dumping of waste is considered to be the biggest source of pollution in the Global North, while uncollected waste is the main cause in the Global South. Similar ‘leakages’ cause huge damage to the oceans. “What our eyes see is only the tip of the iceberg,” warned Dr Ian Butler. Microplastics and large plastic pieces floating on the surface of the ocean and washed up on beaches account for only 3 to 4% of total ocean plastic. This means that a large part of the problem is scattered, submerged in the ocean, divided into small pieces or in such a form that it is extremely difficult to get it back. Unsplash/Naja Bertolt Jensen Around the world, beaches and ocean depths are littered with plastic pollution. 2. Smallest plastic, biggest uncertainty Once plastic reaches the ocean, it is not limited to just beaches or floating debris on the surface. The presence of microplastics has been found from the surface of the ocean to its deepest parts. It is estimated that about 24.4 trillion pieces of microplastics are present in the upper oceans of the world. Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than five millimeters, which are often formed when larger plastic products break down. These can cause problems such as changes in the immune system, inflammation, reduced growth rate and energy imbalance. But our understanding of nanoplastics and their long-term biological effects is still very limited. The smaller and less visible a plastic becomes, the more difficult it becomes to detect, monitor, remove and assess its risks. Additionally, such smaller particles can more easily cross natural biological barriers, such as cell membranes. According to Dr. Ian Butler, these extremely small plastic particles “slowly accumulate in the food chain. They are first swallowed by small sea creatures, then eaten by larger fish or other organisms. In this way, the amount of plastic moves up the food chain.”3. Single-use plastics, a major source of waste Single-use plastics account for about 40% of global waste, while fishing activities contribute about 15%. However, its sources and forms may differ between high-income and low-income countries. To reduce this problem, it is necessary to reduce plastic production, promote reuse, change product design, improve recycling innovations and find alternatives to single-use plastics. The attached bottle cap is a small but useful innovation in recent years, but it is equally important to tackle the problem of single-use plastic bottles. Recycling cannot be considered a complete solution to this problem. The real change is to stop plastic waste before it reaches the oceans. According to Dr. Ian Butler, “Changing the composition of plastics helps, but it is even more important for the oceans that we reduce our dependence on single-use plastics.”4. Plastic pollution is not only an environmental but also a social and economic issue. Plastic pollution is a serious threat to marine habitats, but its impact is not limited to the environment only. It weakens the resilience of ecosystems, impacts people’s livelihoods and poses a risk to food security. The regions that depend on the oceans have to pay the highest price for this pollution. Sectors such as tourism, fishing and shipping lose billions of US dollars each year due to lost revenues and clean-up costs. Small-scale fisheries may be particularly hard hit. Plastic pollution has now become a major challenge for coastal areas and fisheries. It may also have potential impacts on human health, as evidence of plastic ingestion has been found in 386 species of marine fish.5. Prevention is most important, the need for a global plastic treaty The solution cannot be limited to just cleaning beaches or recycling. According to the assessment, to tackle plastic pollution, attention will also need to be focused on reducing production, improving materials science and developing alternatives to single-use plastics. One potentially effective way to reduce plastic pollution could be through an international agreement or treaty. For this purpose, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)UNEP) led by Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution It was formed to create an international, legally binding system on plastic pollution. However, despite years of negotiations, agreement has still not been reached among the 193 UN member states. “Some countries feel that certain types of restrictions will cause them unfair harm, and their economies will be more affected than countries that are not dependent on plastic manufacturing,” said Dr. Ian Butler.
