Each year, 52 million tonnes of plastic waste enter the ocean, contributing to an estimated 24 trillion microplastic particles, which have a devastating impact on the marine environment.

They do not fully biodegrade, lingering indefinitely while causing deadly wildlife entanglement, toxic ingestion, and habitat destruction. Plastics also release harmful chemicals into the water, introducing dangerous pollutants into the global food chain. They are now known to affect more than 4,000 marine species. 

Dr Ian Butler, a scientist at the University of Queensland and an editor of the latest World Ocean Assessment, spoke to UN News about the ecological impacts of ocean plastics, the limits of biodegradable alternatives, and why many scientists argue that the world must reduce plastic production rather than rely only on recycling and waste management.

UN News’s Edouard de Bray asked Dr Butler about some of the most significant yet overlooked ecological impacts on organisms of plastics.