According to a new study published on the plos.org research platform, the world’s oceans contain an estimated 171 trillion plastic particles which if assembled would weigh about 2.3 million tons. As well as the environmental disaster, there is the huge harm caused to marine life.

International scientists examined data collected between 1979 and 2019 from some 12,000 sampling points in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans as well as the Mediterranean Sea. A “rapid and unprecedented” increase in ocean plastic pollution was found since 2005.

The study warns that the rate of plastics spilling into the oceans could climb by 2.6 times between now and 2040 unless urgent action is taken globally.

In the past few decades, production of single-use plastics has surged dramatically, and waste management systems have had a limited impact – with under 10% of global plastics recycled annually.

(Photo by Matthew Chauvin/The Ocean Cleanup)