2023Climate Action - Plastic Waste in the Sea - Sheetlets

The word plastic originated from the Greek word plastikós meaning “fit for molding”. Plastics are semi-organic or synthetic polymers. Plastics come in many forms today, and their uses include household use, the manufacture of toys, the automotive industry, and medicine, to name a few. There are over 90 billion kilograms of plastic produced worldwide each year. Unfortunately, significant amounts of plastic end up in the seas: as much as 80% or 8 million tons per year, with China, Indonesia, and the Philippines being the biggest plastic polluters. Scientists estimate that by 2025 the amount of plastic in the seas and oceans will reach 250 million tons, and by 2050 it will significantly exceed the total amount of fish.