Plastic pollution is more than just trash on the beach.
Plastic pollution is more than just trash on the beach. Marine plastic waste releases PFAS and heavy metals into the water of small freshwater lakes and ponds, at levels exceeding the threshold limits. Birds and animals drink this water. PFAS are ‘forever chemicals’ that threaten both the natural environment and human health.
Norway is home to fantastic natural places that provide us with outdoor recreation and learning. Everyone says they want to protect the environment, but do they actually do anything? The reality is brutal: the environment is being degraded, species are disappearing, and populations are declining sharply. This does not just happen by itself – it is the result of human choices.
Before an environmental problem becomes acute, we call it an environmental challenge. At that point, we still have the opportunity to act. One of the biggest environmental challenges of our era is plastic pollution. Plastic that ends up in the ocean and along the coast does not disappear – it breaks down into microplastics and remains in the environment. It threatens marine life, birds, animals and ultimately us humans. It is not a problem that we can keep putting off – it must be solved. Now.
Read More at: Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Photo Credit: flockine via Pixabay
