Art for thought: Sabine Marcelis
From the oceans to the skies, plastic waste is everywhere. And it's not just the obvious bits of plastic we see. Microplastics can hitchhike on ocean currents and travel through the clouds, posing a major threat to our environment and health. In fact, studies have found microplastics in the most remote parts of the world, including the Arctic, Alps and Pyrenees. Microplastics can even be found in the air we breathe.
Recent studies have shown that these tiny troublemakers are traveling thousands of miles in the atmosphere, picked up by wind currents, meddling with cloud formation and potentially disrupting temperature, rainfall, and even climate change.
Scientists are worried about the tiny bits of plastic that are floating up from seafoam bubbles and car tires and how they could impact our climate. When clouds form, they need something to cling to, like dust, salt or sand.
There are plenty of these fine particles in the skies and they affect everything from the quality of the air we breath, to the color of sunsets, to the number of clouds. Now, plastic particles are taking their part in the game.
Even if these plastic particles only hang around for a short time, we're still breathing them in. Researchers have discovered tiny pieces of plastic inside human lungs, which isn't too surprising when you think about it. If plastic is flying around in the air, it's bound to end up inside us too. It's a new kind of plastic problem that we never even knew existed!
It's clear that plastic pollution has become a pervasive issue that affects us all. It is very important to reduce the amount of single-use plastics in our daily routines. By working together, we can protect our planet and ourselves from the harmful effects of plastic pollution.
Let’s do better, together.