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Researchers are raising red flags about a growing threat to marine life that’s especially harmful for species like orcas and sharks. New research suggests that rising global temperatures are making plastic pollution more dangerous, turning the already concerning microplastic problem into a serious crisis.
What’s happening?
According to a study published in Frontiers in Science, the combination of plastic pollution and increasing temperatures is creating conditions that worsen plastic’s spread and toxicity across oceans and food webs. The authors warn that these stressors are making wildlife’s exposure to toxic microplastics even worse, especially for larger, long-lived species.
The research explained that, while plastic was once considered a “reversible” contaminant, environmental conditions transform it into a “poorly reversible” one. Larger marine predators, like sharks and orcas, are among the most vulnerable because they sit at the top of the food chain, where toxins accumulate over time.
The lead author, Dr. Frank Kelly, said, per The Mercury: “Plastic pollution and the climate are co-crises that intensify each other. They also have origins — and solutions — in common. We urgently need a coordinated international approach to stop end-of-life plastics from building up in the environment.”
Why is this threat concerning?
Rising global temperatures multiply the harmful effects of microplastics, including how far they travel, how quickly they break down into smaller, more dangerous particles, and how easily toxins end up in living creatures. That matters for people as much as wildlife.
Larger predators like sharks and whales are early-warning indicators, meaning when they’re affected, it reflects larger problems across entire ecosystems. These issues ripple across coastal communities, seafood industries, tourism, and public health.
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Just like apex predators, these environmental threats disproportionately affect coastal communities already dealing with polluted beaches as well as threatened wildlife populations such as whales and dolphins.
What can we do to protect marine life?
Experts say the most effective solution is addressing plastic pollution at its source by reducing how much is produced, used, and thrown away. Both the planet-warming carbon pollution from plastic production and microplastics are major problems.
On a global level, countries are negotiating an international plastics treaty that could limit production and phase out harmful materials. Nongovernmental organizations and research groups are pushing for stricter observation of microplastics, and researchers have already developed innovative methods for monitoring and cleaning up microplastics in waterways. Individuals can help too, by breaking up with single-use plastics and using less plastic overall.
If we make changes sooner rather than later, we still have a chance to do something about plastic pollution. As the study explained, “the threat that plastics produced, used, and discarded today could cause global-scale impacts in the future is compelling motivation to take appropriate action now.”
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