We've known for decades that plastic has become ubiquitous in its cancer like spread but learning that it's reducing CO2 uptake in the oceans uncovers yet another feedback loop!
The previous owners of my offshore cruising yacht were becalmed in the South Pacific rubbish gyre, it's reputedly as large as Texas. They could see rubbish to the horizon, 360 degrees around them!
I've added this new analysis to my blog post titled "Microplastics Changing Earth’s Climate from the depths of the Oceans, across Fertile lands and Forests & High up into the Atmosphere", that contains the previous analysis Guy mentioned and more from other scholars.
"But tire particles have gone almost completely unstudied, despite the fact that a recent investigation estimated that they could make up as much as 10 percent of all plastic litter worldwide. In some places it’s much worse. “Interestingly, in Charleston Harbor, we have found that tire particles make up more than 90 percent of the microplastic litter at some of our sampling sites,” says Weinstein."
Imagine that, 10% of all plastic worldwide and we hardly hear about it!
We've known for decades that plastic has become ubiquitous in its cancer like spread but learning that it's reducing CO2 uptake in the oceans uncovers yet another feedback loop!
The previous owners of my offshore cruising yacht were becalmed in the South Pacific rubbish gyre, it's reputedly as large as Texas. They could see rubbish to the horizon, 360 degrees around them!
I've added this new analysis to my blog post titled "Microplastics Changing Earth’s Climate from the depths of the Oceans, across Fertile lands and Forests & High up into the Atmosphere", that contains the previous analysis Guy mentioned and more from other scholars.
https://kevinhester.live/2024/12/17/microplastics-changing-earths-climate-from-the-depths-of-the-oceans-across-fertile-lands-and-forests-high-up-into-the-atmosphere/
"But tire particles have gone almost completely unstudied, despite the fact that a recent investigation estimated that they could make up as much as 10 percent of all plastic litter worldwide. In some places it’s much worse. “Interestingly, in Charleston Harbor, we have found that tire particles make up more than 90 percent of the microplastic litter at some of our sampling sites,” says Weinstein."
Imagine that, 10% of all plastic worldwide and we hardly hear about it!
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/tires-emerging-threat-our-waterways-our-seafood-and-ourselves?fbclid=IwY2xjawS5c0RleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFXN2ZublhTVFVyNFgwak5Bc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHjjGuiz4QKcgVz4X3BbaV8-pp-6drUZFZZqL7EmN0gCFEmWMYKNcJ8h6R6ui_aem_rl9DqhIBlgvASdCYw4K5Pg
"Six times as much plastic as plankton floating in the ocean."
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240115-visualising-the-great-pacific-garbage-patch
Yikes!
One other inconvenient truth is that electric vehicles chew through tires faster than ICE vehicles!
https://recharged.com/articles/electric-car-tires-wear-faster-guide/
Of course! Even the “good” technology is bad.
Our negative impacts seem infinite! The pursuit of a few more dollars leads to unending horrors. Will we stop before it's too late? It seems unlikely.
Thank you for contributing to my work, Kevin. Acceptance, for everyone, draws nearer with each bit of evidence.