The United Nations introduced the term “triple planetary crisis” to describe the linked global crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution. The UN uses this term to emphasize the interdependence and mutual impact of these crises on ecosystems, societies and economies. However, although the contribution of plastics to environmental pollution appears to be the subject of much research, biodiversity and climate change have received relatively little attention. “Scientific understanding of the interactions of these crises with regard to plastics is currently patchy and unevenly distributed,” concludes author and UFZ hydrogeologist Dr. Christian Schmidt.

UFZ researchers operate in a wide range of disciplines from hydrology, toxicology, microbiology and environmental chemistry to social sciences and are part of the UFZ Microplastics Competence Hub . They evaluated more than 19,000 scientific studies to prepare this article. The results are very clear: 17,463 of the studies evaluated address the negative impacts of plastics and associated chemicals on environmental pollution, only 1,279 consider impacts on climate change and barely 652 focus on impacts on biodiversity. “There is an extremely divergent drift in the available knowledge,” summarizes Professor Annika Jahnke, author and environmental chemist from UFZ.

A comprehensive knowledge base is available on environmental pollution, particularly regarding the life cycle of plastics. Since the 1950s, around 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced worldwide. Of this total, 2,900 million tonnes are currently used, including 2,700 million tonnes of primary plastics and around 200 million tonnes of recycled materials. 5.3 billion tonnes ended up in landfills and 1 billion tonnes were incinerated. We also know that between 1,750 and 2,500 million tonnes are considered “mismanaged”, meaning they can leak into the environment in unforeseen ways. The dangers posed by chemicals associated with plastic to humans and environmental organisms as well as the impact of plastics on oceans, soils and freshwater ecosystems are also considered to be the subject of much research. However, a closer analysis reveals knowledge gaps here too, which correspond to research gaps: How are plastics in the environment transported by wind and water? How much plastic reaches the oceans? Where do plastics accumulate in the environment? What are the effects of UV rays, temperature differences or mechanical stress on plastics and the chemicals they contain?

Additionally, few studies focus on the effects of plastics on the atmosphere and the cryosphere, which is the part of the Earth’s surface where water is present in the form of snow or ice. Nanoplastics have also generally received less research than microplastics. There are many more studies on microplastics because the particles are larger and therefore could be studied by a large number of institutions for some time. The chemical composition of plastics is also largely unknown, as they contain many added chemicals in addition to the polymer. Examples of this are UV stabilizers, plasticizers or associated processing aids which can be used to facilitate the processing of plastics or to impart specific desired properties to them. To date, approximately 640 million tons of chemical additives have been added to plastic products. “But little is known about how they are released and what consequences they have for humans and the environment,” explains Annika Jahnke.

Research on the effects of plastics on climate change is also limited. For example, the question arises to what extent greenhouse gas emissions are caused by plastic production, to what extent plastics affect the biogeochemical cycles of the world’s oceans or how plastics modify the albedo, that is, how much solar radiation is reflected by the ocean. the surface of the earth. Likewise, few studies have been published on the effects of plastic pollution on biodiversity. There are a few studies, such as on the toxicity of plastics, changes in habitats and ecosystems, and species rafting. “We want to no longer consider plastics as just a waste problem. Not only do plastics pose a problem of disposal and waste management, but the entire life cycle must be taken into account, from the extraction of raw materials”, says Christian Schmidt. Plastics also contribute to the exacerbation of climate change and biodiversity loss through various mechanisms. Environmental pollution, climate change and loss of biodiversity must therefore be considered holistically. “We need a broader perspective.”

UFZ researchers therefore see the need to focus strongly on international regulations in order to achieve the necessary change of perspective towards comprehensive global solutions. “We now know that plastics contain around 16,000 chemicals. Of these, more than 4,200 are persistent in the environment, accumulate in living organisms, are transported long distances or pose a potential hazard,” explains Annika Jahnke. Current regulations cover only a very small number of these chemicals. Many of these substances could be replaced by less problematic substances that perform the same function. Together with UFZ ecotoxicologist Dr. Dana Kühnel and as part of the network “Coalition of Scientists for an Effective Plastics Treaty”, Annika Jahnke intends to bring such recommendations to the negotiations on the Global Nations Treaty United on Plastics, which will take place in Busan (South Korea) from November 25 to December 1. At the final meeting, the international community plans to adopt a global agreement whose goals include reducing the production of new plastics and reducing hazardous chemicals linked to plastics. “Due to the far-reaching consequences of plastics, it is important to also harmonize future agreements with legislation protecting the climate and biodiversity. This requires regulation of plastics and associated chemicals,” explains Dana Kühnel.