More than one study has already shown how harmful plastic is. Yet people still consume huge amounts of it. Scientists indicate that plastic has already reached everywhere. Its traces can be found in deserts, mountain peaks and even at the bottom of deep oceans. A 2016 study shows that global plastic emissions into the world's lakes, rivers and oceans ranged from 9 to 23 million metric tons per year. A similar amount is emitted every year on land. Soils and entire ecosystems suffer as a result. It is estimated that these numbers will double by 2025. Stockholm University professor and lead author of the study Matthew MacLeod said: "The use of plastic is deeply ingrained in our society and plastic enters the environment everywhere, even in countries with good waste management infrastructure."
Plastic is literally everywhere
He believes that pollution levels are trending upwards even as awareness about plastic pollution increases. According to Mine Tekman - PhD student at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany and co-author 
research, plastic pollution is not only an environmental problem, but also a political and economic one. He points out that recycling or purification technologies are not efficient enough and the problem needs to be tackled at its core. “The world is promoting technological solutions for recycling and removing plastic from the environment . As consumers, we believe that if we sort our plastic waste properly, it will all magically be recycled. Technologically, plastic recycling has many limitations, and countries that have good infrastructure export their plastic waste to countries with poorer infrastructure. Reducing emissions requires decisive action, such as limiting the production of virgin plastic to increase the value of recycled plastic, and banning the export of plastic waste unless to a country with a better recycling system," says Mine Tekman.
Plastic weathering
What is plastic weathering? This is a multi-step process. This occurs when the amounts of plastics released into the environment begin to exceed the amounts removed by cleanup initiatives and natural environmental processes. “Plastic weathering occurs through many different processes, and we have come a long way in understanding them. But weathering constantly changes the properties of plastic pollutants, which opens up the field for asking further questions," says Hans Peter Arp, researcher at the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) and professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and co-author of the study. Arp. Plastik says : "Degradation is very slow and is not effective at stopping accumulation, so exposure to weathered plastic will only increase."
So, taking these statements into account, we can go so far as to say that plastic pollution is a serious problem. It is a poorly reversible pollutant due to its continuous emission and resistance to degradation. Remote countries are most at risk because they have no chance of being removed by humans, only degradation. Airing plastic items will only produce a lot of microplastics. Additionally, chemicals will be washed away and pollute the ecosystem. Researcher at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) and professor at RWTH Aachen University, Annika Jahnke explains: "In environments isolated from human habitats (which unfortunately does not protect them from pollution), plastic garbage cannot be removed by cleaning, and weathering large plastic items will inevitably produce large numbers of micro- and nanoplastic particles, as well as leaching of chemicals that have been intentionally added to the plastic and other chemicals that break away from the polymer structures of the plastic. Thus, plastic in the environment is an ever-changing problem of increasing complexity and mobility. Where it accumulates and what effects it may cause are difficult, perhaps even impossible, to predict.
What could be the tipping point of environmental damage?
The main effect is environmental pollution , plastic things become entangled with animals and emit toxic substances. Despite this damage, plastics can have terrible global effects. Researchers show possible consequences. Examples include even greater climate change and loss of biodiversity in water reservoirs. The loss of habitats of many animal species, for example due to changes in water temperature, may be a huge problem. As a result, they may die out, which will lead to changes, e.g. on the meat market.
The authors of the new study believe that current emissions of plastic into the environment are a serious threat . Today's plastic may have global effects that will be difficult to reverse in the future. “We are currently burdening the environment with increasing amounts of poorly reversible plastic pollution. So far we don't see widespread evidence of negative consequences, but if plastic weathering causes a truly widespread effect, we probably won't be able to reverse it. The cost of ignoring the build-up of persistent plastic pollutants in the environment can be enormous . The rational thing to do is to act as quickly as possible to reduce plastic emissions into the environment. We must do this for our own good," warns MacLeod.