Incorporating plastic pollution into the global change framework

Summary

Plastic pollution is now so widespread—from ocean water to soil to the air we breathe—that scientists say it should be studied as a major driver of global environmental change, alongside things like climate change and biodiversity loss. This matters because plastic doesn't just harm wildlife and ecosystems; it also breaks down into tiny microplastic particles that people can inhale, eat, and drink, with still-unclear effects on our health. This paper (a synthesis of existing research) argues that tackling plastic pollution needs the same coordinated, worldwide attention we give other big environmental threats, rather than being treated as a smaller, separ