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88% of marine species affected by severe plastic pollution | DW News

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UN negotiators start talks this month aimed at tackling the growing problem of plastic pollution. Plastics take millenia to break down and decompose. They pose a particular threat to the oceans and the marine life they sustain. Yet production of plastics is at an all time high and set to increase.

Wildlife group WWF said on Tuesday that plastic has infiltrated all parts of the ocean, calling for urgent efforts to create an international treaty on plastics. According to a report published by WWF, 88% of marine species are affected by severe contamination of plastic in the ocean. The report said that many animals have ingested these plastics, including animals commonly consumed by humans. The report, which was written in collaboration with Germany's Alfred Wegener Institute, compiles data from 2,590 scientific studies on the topic. It measures the impact of plastic and microplastic in the ocean. Gigantic "plastic islands," made up of floating pieces of plastic, have been found in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The report found that the fossil-fuel derived substance "has reached every part of the ocean, from the sea surface to the deep ocean floor, from the poles to coastlines of the most remote islands and is detectable in the smallest plankton up to the largest whale." WWF has indicated that at least 2,144 species suffer from plastic pollution in their habitat, and some of these species also end up ingesting these materials. This is the case of 90% of marine birds and 52% of turtles, according to the report. WWF warned that plastic content has been found in shellfish like blue mussels and oysters, and a fifth of canned sardines contain these particles.The report predicts that plastic production will double by 2040, which will cause a fourfold increase in plastic waste in the ocean. This will affect an area that is two and a half times the size of Greenland, according to WWF. WWF said that some of the most threatened marine areas are the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the Mediterranean. These areas have already reached the limit of how much microplastic they can absorb.

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Category
Europe
Tags
DW News, plastics, marine pollution
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