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Marine ecosystems and emerging plastic pollution
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This review examines marine plastic pollution as an emerging ecosystem threat, contextualising the problem within global waste generation projections that estimate municipal solid waste will reach 3.40 billion tonnes by 2050, and discussing pathways by which littered and improperly disposed plastics enter marine environments.
According to World Bank estimates, the world produces 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste each year, with at least 33% not being managed in an ecologically sustainable manner. By 2050, global garbage is anticipated to reach 3.40 billion tonnes, more than double the population increase. Littered waste deviates from 'inadequately disposed' waste in that it refers to plastics that have been dropped or disposed of in an improper area without consent. While highincome nations are far more likely to have better waste management systems Chapter 3
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Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.