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Microplastics: The imperative influencer in blueprint of blue economy
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This review examines how microplastic pollution threatens the blue economy, which includes industries that depend on healthy oceans such as fishing, tourism, and shipping. Microplastics reduce seafood quality, damage coastal environments that attract tourists, and increase costs for marine industries through equipment fouling and contamination. The authors call for coordinated global action among governments, businesses, and researchers to address microplastic pollution before it causes further economic and health damage.
The burgeoning issue of microplastic pollution in marine ecosystems has emerged as a significant concern, presently multifaceted difficulty to the sustainability and prosperity of the blue economy. This review examines the intricate link between microplastics (MPs) and the blue economy (BE), exploring how microplastics infiltrate marine environments, their persistence, and their impacts on economic activities reliant on healthy oceans in a global scenario. Diminished seafood quality and quantity, degraded coastal aesthetics affecting tourism revenues, and increased operational costs due to fouling and contamination are among the economic repercussions identified. Additionally, the review discusses the potential long-term consequences on human health and food security, emphasizing the urgency for proactive mitigation measures and policy interventions in the global scenario. The study highlights the interconnectedness of the blue economy and environmental health, prompting a comprehensive strategy to mitigate microplastic pollution. It calls for collaborative efforts among stakeholders, including policymakers, industries, academia, and civil society, to develop innovative strategies for combating microplastic pollution and promoting sustainable blue economic practices. In conclusion, the review stresses the pressing need for concerted action to address microplastic threats to the blue economy, recommending science-based policies, technological innovations, and public awareness campaigns to protect marine ecosystems and ensure the resilience and prosperity of ocean-dependent economic activities.
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Microplastics in the ocean: under the blue economy perspective
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This study examines plastic and microplastic pollution in the ocean from a blue economy perspective, analyzing both the ecological impacts and the socioeconomic costs of marine plastic contamination. The paper argues for a holistic approach to managing marine plastic pollution that integrates scientific, economic, and policy dimensions.
Potential Threat of Microplastic Pollution on Coastal-Marine Ecosystem– An Emerging Economic Setback and Question to Blue Economy?
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This review quantifies the economic damage of marine microplastic pollution on blue economy sectors including fisheries, aquaculture, and coastal tourism, surveying country-level costs alongside the high expense and limited efficiency of existing cleanup technologies. Linking microplastic pollution to measurable economic losses strengthens the policy case for upstream plastic reduction strategies and more cost-effective removal technologies to protect ocean-dependent industries.
Microplastics pollution: Economic loss and actions needed
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This study highlights the economic costs associated with microplastic pollution and its threats to both environmental and human health. The researchers argue that governments should implement policies aligned with global resolutions to end plastic pollution, emphasizing the need for coordinated action to address the growing economic and ecological burden of microplastic contamination.
Plastics pollution: pathways, impacts, and regulatory challenges in marine environments
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This review synthesizes research on microplastic pollution across the world's oceans, covering sources from land-based activities, rivers, fishing, and aquaculture. Researchers found that polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene account for over 60% of recovered ocean microplastics and that these particles affect organisms from single-celled life to large marine animals. The estimated economic losses from microplastic damage to marine ecosystem services range from 1.18 to 2.16 trillion USD, roughly 2% of global GDP.
Beyond surface: Unveiling ecological and economic ramifications of microplastic pollution in the oceans
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This review examines the ecological and economic damage caused by microplastic pollution in the world's oceans, where 400 million metric tons of plastic waste are generated annually. The paper argues that international legislation and a global plastics treaty are essential to shift toward a circular plastics economy and prevent further harm to marine ecosystems. Without decisive action, microplastic pollution will continue to threaten both ocean health and the communities that depend on marine resources.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.