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Unsustainable Horizons
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This article examined unsustainable development trajectories and their environmental consequences, discussing how current production and consumption patterns generate plastic pollution as part of broader ecological overshoot.
Plastic properties of durability and ubiquity hold value within forensic investigations in preserving evidence and generating opportunities for further analysis. Plastics recovered from buried crime scenes can assist in their reconstruction and characterisation. Here the value of plastics within forensic archaeology is highlighted in understanding their presence and selection by the individuals involved. Deliberate selections of plastic objects are considered, such as those associated with human remains, plastics in detection avoidance, and tools used to assist transportation and deposition. We also consider the value of ‘background plastics’ and microplastics in developing contextual information. Perhaps more than in other areas of archaeological excavation, plastics are also actors and agents in forensics, forming the protective clothing, sampling equipment and body receptacles essential to minimising contamination. In this way, plastics fill a ‘clean/dirty’ dynamic on buried crime scenes worthy of discussion. Beyond this, like the bomb curve in radiocarbon dating, plastics may represent a moment of modernity that passes us by as a civilisation in favour of more sustainable alternatives. If this is the case, the plastic horizon will pass from forensic utility into archaeological chronology – the nuances of difference between these two subtly different approaches are explored in this chapter.
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This review examines how unsustainable consumption and production patterns drive environmental degradation through overconsumption, industrial pollution, and plastic waste accumulation, arguing that achieving SDG 12 requires coordinated policy intervention, circular economy adoption, and behavioral change across individuals, industries, and governments.
A Critical Analysis of the Rising Global Demand of Plastics and its Adverse Impact on Environmental Sustainability
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This critical review examined global trends in plastic demand and mismanaged plastic waste, identifying the top contributing countries and evaluating plastic replacement alternatives, arguing that reducing consumption and improving waste management infrastructure are more impactful than material substitution alone.
Role of Plastics in Modern Life: Benefits, Risks and Environmental Consequences
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This review examines the dual role of plastics in modern society — their economic benefits alongside environmental and public health risks — and surveys strategies for more sustainable plastic production and disposal.
Plastic Pollution and the Need for Responsible Plastic Consumption and Waste Management
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This paper reviewed the global scale of plastic pollution across environmental compartments and assessed current waste management practices — recycling, composting, incineration, and landfill — finding that all existing approaches result in leakage of plastics into natural environments. Closing the gap between plastic production and effective end-of-life management is a prerequisite for halting the continuous input of new microplastic particles into ecosystems and ultimately into human bodies.
Environmental Impact of Plastic Waste: Strategies for Sustainable Management
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This systematic review summarizes the environmental and health impacts of plastic waste and evaluates strategies for sustainable management. It highlights that plastic pollution threatens ecosystems and human health through microplastic contamination, and examines approaches like recycling, biodegradable alternatives, and policy interventions to reduce exposure.
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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.