20 years of microplastics research: time to act

Science has provided more than enough evidence to develop a collective and global approach to tackle the proliferation of plastic pollution. This is the conclusion of an international research team including environmental psychologist Sabine Pahl from the University of Vienna. The current Science publication particularly emphasises the urgency of a global agreement to curb plastic pollution.

The current article was written on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the first study on microplastics, which was also published in the journal Science and coined the term ‘microplastics’ to describe the microscopically small plastic fragments in our oceans. Both studies were led by the ‘Godfather of Microplastic’, Richard Thompson, head of the International Marine Litter Research Unit at the University of Plymouth. International experts from the UK, Switzerland, Australia and the Netherlands also contributed to the study.

Austrian participation through Sabine Pahl

As the only scientist from the DACH region and an expert in environmental psychology, Sabine Pahl from the University of Vienna analysed the social and psychological dimension of plastic pollution in the new study. ‘The plastic pollution of our planet is entirely caused by human behaviour. We therefore need to investigate how people perceive the risks and benefits of plastic and which factors influence their support for action and change. In doing so, we should include social science perspectives,’ says Pahl, who is also co-director of the ECH, the Environment and Climate Research Network, at the University of Vienna. Furthermore, plastic pollution is not exclusively an environmental issue, but ‘a profound social challenge that can only be solved through interdisciplinary, international cooperation’. 

Microplastics are everywhere 

According to estimates, microplastic pollution could rise to 40 megatonnes per year by 2040 if no decisive action is taken. Since the first study was published in 2004, an estimated 7,000 research studies have been conducted on microplastics, providing considerable insight into their sources and impacts, as well as potential solutions. Microplastics have been found in every corner of our planet, in more than 1,300 aquatic and terrestrial animal species, in the food and drink we consume, and in numerous tissues and organs of the human body.

Time to act

The authors of the study emphasise that we need to go beyond existing national measures to tackle the problem. According to the researchers, the upcoming United Nations negotiations on a global treaty on plastic pollution in South Korea in November 2024 offer a ‘tangible and historic opportunity’ for joint international action. These negotiations, which were launched as part of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) in 2022, could be the first international treaty to regulate the entire life cycle of plastics - from production and consumption to disposal and recycling. However, for such a treaty to be effective, it would have to commit to an overall reduction in plastic production while taking measures to reduce the emission and release of microplastic particles along the entire life cycle of plastic. Otherwise, the researchers add, there could be ‘a high risk of irreversible environmental damage’. 

Original publication:

Thompson et al: Twenty years of microplastics pollution research - what have we learned? Science.
DOI: 10.1126/science.adl2746