See How Many LEGO Skyscrapers You Could Build With a Year ’s Worth of Ocean Plastic Waste

Plastic has been plagued with some bad press in the weeks leading up to Earth Day, which takes place Sunday, April 22, from a sperm whale that washed ashore in Spain with 64 pounds of plastic in its body to a 600,000 square mile area in the Pacific Ocean rife with trash. Both headlines drew an outcry from concerned citizens calling for measures to protect the affected sea life. But as sad as the news may be, it is far from surprising. Plastic consumption has increased 20-fold in recent decades, with nearly a third of the material consumed bypassing waste collection systems and eventually winding up as pollution. That plastic debris often finds its way to the planet’s oceans, rivers and lakes, creating problems for aquatic species and, by extension, humankind. The plastic pollution problem — the theme of this year’s Earth Day — isn’t going away any time soon. Plastic use is expected to double in the next two decades as manufacturers find new and varied uses for the material, according to a report from the World Economic Forum (WEF). In some ways, that could be a good thing. Plastic has aided human development by keeping food fresh, reducing the weight of cars (leading to reduced emissions), and providing material for new types of medical devices. Supporters of expanding plastic use say the material can be used as the building block of everything from electronics to skyscrapers. But unless we change our approach to plastic waste, more plastic use ...
Source: TIME: Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Environment interactive studios onetime Source Type: news