Plastic a phobia to animal extinction?
How does plastic contribute to animal extinction?
- Ingestion: Animals can ingest plastic debris, mistaking it for food or through accidental consumption. This can cause various health problems, including gastrointestinal blockage, internal injury, nutrient absorption interference, and starvation. Some plastics can also leach toxic chemicals that can accumulate in the animal's body and harm their organs and tissues.
- Entanglement: Many marine animals, including whales, dolphins, seals, sea turtles, and birds, can get entangled in plastic waste, such as fishing nets, lines, and packaging materials. Entanglement can restrict their movement, cause injury or infection, limit access to food and mates, and ultimately lead to death.
- Habitat destruction: Plastic accumulates in oceans, rivers, lakes, and other aquatic habitats, forming vast garbage patches. These plastic debris can smother coral reefs, seagrass beds, and other essential marine habitats, affecting the survival of numerous species. Furthermore, microplastics can be ingested by marine organisms and transported throughout the food chain.
- Microplastics: Microplastics are tiny plastic particles resulting from the breakdown of larger plastic items or manufactured for various products, including cosmetics, cleaning products, and synthetic textiles. These tiny particles can be easily ingested by aquatic organisms and have been found in various marine species. Microplastics can absorb and concentrate pollutants from the water, potentially harming the organisms that ingest them.
- Chemical leaching: Many plastics contain toxic chemicals that can leach into the environment and harm wildlife. These chemicals can disrupt endocrine systems, impair reproduction, and damage the nervous system of animals. Some plastic additives, such as phthalates and bisphenol A, have been linked to developmental abnormalities, reproductive problems, and cancer in animals.
How does plastic contribute to the sixth mass extinction?
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species currently lists approximately 28,000 species facing the risk of extinction. Human activities, including plastic pollution, are significant drivers of this biodiversity crisis.
- Direct impact: Plastic pollution directly affects wildlife populations through ingestion, entanglement, habitat destruction, and chemical leaching. For example:
- Over 1 million marine animals die each year from entanglement in plastic debris.
- 90% of seabirds have plastic in their stomachs.
- Coral reefs, essential ecosystems for marine biodiversity, are threatened by plastic pollution, with some reefs estimated to contain over 11 billion plastic pieces.
- Indirect impact: Plastic pollution also affects wildlife indirectly by disrupting ecosystems and altering food webs. For instance:
- Plastic pollution can alter the availability and quality of food for marine organisms, affecting their growth, reproduction, and survival.
- Microplastics can accumulate in the food chain, potentially affecting the health and reproductive success of top predators, including humans.
These impacts on wildlife populations contribute to the overall decline of biodiversity and the ongoing sixth mass extinction event, which threatens the stability and health of ecosystems worldwide and potentially compromises the survival of the human species.