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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/10/microplastics-hinder-plant-photosynthesis-study-finds-threatening-millions-with-starvation>
"The pollution of the planet by microplastics is significantly cutting food
supplies by damaging the ability of plants to photosynthesise, according to a
new assessment.
The analysis estimates that between 4% and 14% of the world’s staple crops of
wheat, rice and maize is being lost due to the pervasive particles. It could
get even worse, the scientists said, as more microplastics pour into the
environment.
About 700 million people were affected by hunger in 2022. The researchers
estimated that microplastic pollution could increase the number at risk of
starvation by another 400 million in the next two decades, calling that an
“alarming scenario” for global food security.
Other scientists called the research useful and timely but cautioned that this
first attempt to quantify the impact of microplastics on food production would
need to be confirmed and refined by further data-gathering and research.
The annual crop losses caused by microplastics could be of a similar scale to
those caused by the climate crisis in recent decades, the researchers behind
the new research said. The world is already facing a challenge to produce
sufficient food sustainably, with the global population expected to rise to 10
billion by around 2058.
Microplastics are broken down from the vast quantities of waste dumped into the
environment. They hinder plants from harnessing sunlight to grow in multiple
ways, from damaging soils to carrying toxic chemicals. The particles have
infiltrated the entire planet, from the summit of Mount Everest to the deepest
oceans.
“Humanity has been striving to increase food production to feed an ever-growing
population [but] these ongoing efforts are now being jeopardised by plastic
pollution,” said the researchers, led by Prof Huan Zhong, at Nanjing University
in China. “The findings underscore the urgency [of cutting pollution] to
safeguard global food supplies in the face of the growing plastic crisis.”"
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
