Thread by @BiIndia

#COVID19 pandemic generated more than 8 million tonnes of #plasticwaste globally, says study

#GlobalWarming #pollution #environment

businessinsider.in/science/enviro…

The #COVID19 pandemic has generated more than eight million tonnes of #plasticwaste globally, with over 25,000 tonnes of it entering the oceans, according to a study.

#GlobalWarming #pollution #environment

The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that a significant portion of this ocean plastic debris is expected to make its way onto either beaches or the seabed within three to four years.

#plasticwaste #pollution #COVID19

A smaller portion will go into the open ocean, eventually to be trapped in the centres of ocean basins, which can become garbage patches, and accumulate in the #ArcticOcean.

#plasticwaste #pollution #COVID19

The researchers noted that the #COVID19 pandemic has led to an increased demand for single-use plastics such as face masks, gloves, and face shields.

#GlobalWarming #pollution #environment

The team led by researchers at Nanjing University in China and University of California (UC) San Diego, US, used a newly developed ocean plastic numerical model to quantify the impact of the pandemic on plastic discharge from land sources.

#plasticwaste #pollution #COVID19

They incorporated data from the start of the pandemic in 2020 through August 2021, finding that most of the global #plasticwaste entering the ocean is coming from #Asia, with hospital waste representing the bulk of the land discharge.

#COVID19 #pollution

Asian rivers account for 73 per cent of the total discharge of plastics, with the top three contributors being the Shatt al-Arab, Indus, and Yangtze rivers, which discharge into the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, and East China Sea.

#plasticwaste #pollution #COVID19

While most of the pandemic-associated plastics are expected to settle on beaches and the seafloor, a smaller amount will likely end up circulating or settling in the Arctic Ocean.

#plasticwaste #pollution #COVID19

To combat the influx of plastic waste into the oceans, the researchers urge for better management of medical waste in epicentres, especially in developing countries.

#plasticwaste #pollution #COVID19