Seabird "Plasticosis" may herald in new age of animal diseases: Report

Beijing [China], April 23 : China is the largest country in the world and is where one-third of all businesses with production facilities for single-use plastic is based. The country consumes at least one-fifth of the world's plastics and is the top producer and exporter of virgin and single-use plastics. Additionally, fossil fuels are predominantly used in the production of single-use plastics. If single-use plastic production keeps up its current growth trajectory, it may contribute five to ten per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, which would exacerbate climate change. The main producer of single-use plastic is a Chinese company called Sinopec. Furthermore, the company's greenhouse gas emissions increase annually, Indo Pacific Center for Strategic Communications (IPCSC) reported.
Microplastics or microfibers are pollutants produced when plastics degrade or are discharged from fabrics. A new disease known as "Plasticosis" that affects seabirds and is brought on by ingesting plastic has been discovered by "Adrift Labs" in a recent study. Lord Howe Island has seen numerous incidences of this disease in seabirds. This study conclusively establishes that plastic can result in severe, organ-wide production of scar tissue, or "Plasticosis."
Using microplastics extensively would harm our natural ecosystem, which would have an unfavourable effect on the health and survival of other species, including humans. A 2019 global survey that the World Wide Fund for Nature funded revealed that, on average, people consume up to 5g of plastic every week, as per IPCSC.
Experts have also found microplastics in human placentas and breast milk. They issued a warning against using plastic bottles excessively since they claim that this is a source of microplastics.
China's plastic pollution issue may seem severe when viewed holistically, harming the world and generating irreversible environmental devastation. Additionally, China's population is growing by 0.5 per cent annually on average. Based on current projections, the country's population could reach 1.46 billion by 2028, producing even more rubbish. Currently, it is estimated that 4.8 to 12.7 million metric tonnes of plastic enter the ocean each year. However, a 2017 study found that among five Asian countries, China tops the list, accounting for 80 per cent of the poorly managed plastic waste in the ocean.
The findings of an updated study in 2021 were comparable. Additionally, all 21 species of freshwater and marine fish from Chinese waters have been found to have consumed plastic, according to scientific researchers, according to IPCSC.
Although research on China's regulatory framework for handling plastic has been sparse and dispersed, little is known about the trends and trajectories dominating China's plastic policy landscape. China is regarded as one of the countries that contributes the most to ocean plastic pollution.
Despite our best efforts to manage the waste and increase our recycling rates, over 17 million tonnes of plastic would still be released into the environment annually, according to scientific experts.
Through upstream measures like a restriction on plastic manufacture, we can only halt further degradation of our life-supporting ecosystems and lessen the carbon footprint of plastics, which contributes 4.5 per cent of world CO2 emissions. According to a recent study in Science, even if all potential solutions to the issue were fully implemented, such as substituting other materials for plastic and improving recycling and waste management, plastic pollution would still only be reduced by 80 per cent over the next 20 years. Therefore, examining the sub-lethal "hidden" effects of ingesting plastic is vital because biota are becoming more and more exposed to plastic pollution, Indo Pacific Center for Strategic Communications (IPCSC) reported.