Plastic pollution is changing the entire Earth system

A recent study has highlighted how plastics impact the environment, health, and human well-being in ways far more intricate and damaging than previously understood. 

The study uses the Planetary Boundaries framework to examine the full life cycle of plastics, showing their impacts on global environmental issues including climate change, biodiversity loss, and freshwater and land use.

“It’s necessary to consider the full life cycle of plastics, starting from the extraction of fossil fuel and the primary plastic polymer production,” explained lead author Patricia Villarrubia-Gómez, a doctoral student at the Stockholm Resilience Center at Stockholm University.

Global plastic overload

Currently, over 500 million tons of plastics are produced each year, yet only 9% is recycled. Plastics are pervasive, contaminating ecosystems from Mount Everest’s peak to the Mariana Trench’s depths. 

The research team’s review reveals how plastic pollution affects fundamental Earth systems, contributing to almost every pressing global environmental challenge.

Plastics are complex synthetic materials, often combined with thousands of chemicals. Their effects extend throughout their life cycle, from raw material extraction to production, use, and release into the environment.

“Plastics are seen as those inert products that protect our favorite products or make our lives easier, that can be ‘easily cleaned up’ once they become waste. But this is far from reality,” noted Villarrubia-Gómez.

“Plastics are made out of the combination of thousands of chemicals. Many of them, such as endocrine disruptors and chemicals, pose toxicity and harm to ecosystems and human health.” 

Interconnected impacts of plastics

Until now, most research and policy efforts have focused on specific aspects of plastic pollution, often treating it primarily as a waste management problem. 

However, the research highlights that plastics’ impacts are interconnected, destabilizing the Earth system in ways previously overlooked.

“The impacts of plastics on the Earth system are complex and interconnected,” said co-author Sarah Cornell, an expert in global sustainability at the Stockholm Resilience Center. “This work clearly demonstrates how plastics are acting to destabilize the system.”

Earth system impacts of plastic

To more effectively address these impacts, the researchers propose an impact pathway approach. This framework includes indicators at three main stages of plastics’ life cycle: extraction and production, environmental release, and systemic Earth impacts. 

Rather than seeking a single quantitative threshold for plastic pollution within the Planetary Boundaries framework, they suggest a set of control variables that can better capture the multifaceted nature of plastics pollution.

“We emphasize the need to account for impacts at all stages along the life cycle of plastics,” Villarrubia-Gómez said. “We propose a set of control variables that together allow us to better understand and control plastics pollution.”

Challenges in data transparency 

The research team examined publicly available data on plastic production, noting significant challenges in standardizing and reporting. In 2022 alone, at least 506 million tons of plastics were produced worldwide. 

Since the 1950s, an estimated total of 11,090 million tons have been produced. However, inconsistent data reporting, lack of methodological detail, and missing metadata complicate reliable assessments.

The team noted that this data gap limits both research and policy responses. Even with current limitations, the available evidence demonstrates how plastics contribute to environmental harm at planetary scales. 

Plastic pollution affects ecosystems directly, through physical contamination, and indirectly, by altering Earth’s biophysical processes.

Solutions to address planetary health

For people across the globe, the impacts of plastic pollution are becoming more severe as planetary boundaries are increasingly breached. 

Understanding how plastics interact within the Planetary Boundaries framework can support more sustainable strategies to address pressing environmental issues.

Study co-author Bethanie Carney Almroth, an expert in the environmental impact of plastics at the University of Gothenburg, noted that plastics are now found in the most remote regions of the planet and in the most intimate – within human bodies.

“And we know that plastics are complex materials, released into the environment throughout the plastics life cycle, resulting in harm in many systems,” she said. 

“The solutions we strive to develop must be considered with this complexity in mind, addressing the full spectrum of safety and sustainability to protect people and the planet.”

Reframing plastic pollution policy

With international Plastics Treaty negotiations approaching, the researchers urge experts and policymakers to view plastic pollution as more than a waste issue. 

By focusing on the entire lifecycle and material flow, they hope policymakers can address the effects of plastic pollution on Earth’s fundamental systems.

This shift in perspective could enable more precise tracking of plastic pollution’s impact on climate, biodiversity, and resources, allowing for timely, targeted responses.

The study is published in the journal One Earth,

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