Greenie Mag

Microplastics and Nanoplastics

Nanoplastics are increasingly returning to humans through the food chain. The image symbolizes the abrasion of car tires and synthetic fibers. More on this in the second paragraph below.

When microplastics break down into nanoparticles, nanoplastics can penetrate almost all environments, even the atmosphere and cells of living organisms, where the particles cause inflammation. Additionally, nanoplastics can transport heavy metals or toxins that were attracted to the plastic. These pollutants can then be released into organisms, where they may even damage DNA.

Regarding the origin of microplastics, the world is divided between West and East. In Western industrialized countries, where there are many cars, up to 50% of released microplastics come from tire wear. Another 30% comes from the abrasion of synthetic fibers when washing clothes. The abrasion enters rivers through wastewater because the microplastics are too fine to be filtered out. Eventually, everything reaches the seas, where it accumulates (accumulation in the oceans).

In Europe, there are relatively few problems with plastic in waste because plastic packaging and other waste are collected by a functioning waste management system and then mostly incinerated. The situation is different in some parts of Asia, where population growth has not been accompanied by the establishment of an adequate waste system and awareness. As a result, even coarse waste ends up in rivers and seas there.

Plastic packaging is actually optimal: the material is hygienic, universally moldable, lightweight, waterproof, airtight, and cost-effective. The use of practical plastic packaging began in the 1950s and increased dramatically, especially from the 70s onwards.

Today, we face the major problem that plastic is not biodegradable and eventually crumbles into uncontrollable pieces. When plastic waste enters the seas, the movements of water masses further separate and grind plastic pieces.

Fish, birds, and marine mammals cannot easily distinguish plastic pieces in the sea from food. The plastic pieces accumulate in the stomach and intestines, cannot be digested, and block the digestive tract. The animals suffer or die.

Smaller microplastics and nanoplastics are ingested by small organisms such as plankton, allowing them to enter the food chain, ultimately even reaching humans.

When microplastics break down into nanoparticles, they spread unstoppably, even through cell membranes. This can lead to the inflammation mentioned earlier or even DNA damage from heavy metals and toxins.

Species Extinction

In Earth's history, large species normally went extinct at a rate of about 1 to 5 species per year (background extinction rate). This manageable loss was balanced by the emergence of new species. However, due to the greatly increased world population and its side effects, the mortality rate of animals and plants has accelerated by a factor of 1000.

It is estimated that about 150 species go extinct every day. This has long since become a serious problem that is leading the entire biodiversity into crisis. A study from 2023 shows that one in five animal and plant species in Europe is endangered. This is a higher percentage than previously thought.

However, there is also hope: In 2023, the global community agreed in Montreal on a binding goal to halt human-caused extinction of animals and plants by 2030. It remains to be seen how "binding" this goal will actually be implemented.

Species extinction, also known as the biodiversity crisis, is a global phenomenon in which the number of animal and plant species is rapidly declining (mass extinction). This affects not only exotic and rare species but also widespread species that are crucial for ecosystems and human livelihoods.

The main causes of species extinction are: habitat destruction due to roads, cities, and agriculture; environmental pollution from pesticides, plastic waste, and chemicals; climate change; overexploitation of natural resources; human-introduced invasive species; loss of stable ecosystems with subsequent chain reactions due to predator/prey imbalances.

However, there have been some individual successes in species conservation. For example, in Germany, white-tailed eagles, black storks, and seals have slightly recovered through targeted protection measures and are no longer as critically endangered as before.

Greenhouse Effect and Decarbonization

About 3 million years ago, the CO2 content of the atmosphere was slightly higher than it is today. The temperature rose and became about 2 to 4°C warmer than today. Even then, the polar ice caps melted. The sea level rose and was 20 meters higher than it is today.

At that time, there were no humans, so the high CO2 content was not caused by humans. During the Pliocene, there were phases of intense volcanic activity that released large amounts of CO2. The movement of tectonic plates and the associated volcanic eruptions contributed to the release of carbon from the Earth's interior into the atmosphere.

Today, it's exactly the opposite: Currently, there are only a maximum of 70 volcanic eruptions on land per year. The amount of CO2 released by these volcanoes is quite small compared to emissions from human activities. Human CO2 emissions (especially from burning fossil fuels) are about 200 times higher than volcanic CO2 emissions.

Nevertheless, human emissions only make up a part of the CO2 content in the atmosphere. The problem is that the additional emissions are not part of natural cycles. In nature, there are processes that release CO2 and processes that bind it again. However, fossil fuels add a portion that is not rebound in the short or medium term.

Before industrialization (around 1750), the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere was about 280 ppm (parts per million). Today, the concentration is at 420 ppm (as of 2023). This increase of about 140 ppm is mainly caused by human activities and thus accounts for 30 – 35% of the total current CO2 content in the atmosphere. The increase in the last 270 years is almost entirely due to human activities and is a major driver of the current climate warming.

While sea levels rose by about 1.5 mm per year in the last century, the rise has already accelerated to about 3.5 mm per year in the last two decades (satellite measurements). If the sea level were to rise again by 20 meters (as last seen in the Pliocene), it would lead to significant land losses in coastal regions worldwide. Although this would only affect 5% of the land mass, the consequences would be dramatic because coastal regions are economically significant and densely populated (megacities).

To slow down climate change, it is necessary to capture and avoid carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). There are many ideas and approaches for this, but it's particularly important to consider what can be implemented quickly now, i.e., technology that is already available today, what works efficiently, what is reasonably cost-effective, and what is scalable. The following measures are considered to be the most effective in the short term: the expansion of renewable energy (saving 5 – 10 gigatons of CO2 by 2030) and increasing the energy efficiency of buildings (saving 2 – 4 gigatons of CO2 by 2030).