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Plastic Pollution & Marine Debris

Scale of the Problem

An estimated 11 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean every year, with projections suggesting this could triple by 2040 without intervention. Plastic debris ranges from large ghost nets and packaging to microplastics smaller than five millimeters, which now pervade every ocean basin from surface waters to hadal trenches. Rivers serve as major conduits: just 1,000 rivers account for roughly 80 percent of riverine plastic emissions to the sea. Understanding the full lifecycle of marine plastic — from production through transport to fragmentation — is the foundation of effective policy.

Plastic Pollution & Marine Debris

Scale of the Problem

An estimated 11 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean every year, with projections suggesting this could triple by 2040 without intervention. Plastic debris ranges from large ghost nets and packaging to microplastics smaller than five millimeters, which now pervade every ocean basin from surface waters to hadal trenches. Rivers serve as major conduits: just 1,000 rivers account for roughly 80 percent of riverine plastic emissions to the sea. Understanding the full lifecycle of marine plastic — from production through transport to fragmentation — is the foundation of effective policy.