Plastic pollution threatens to worsen global carbon cycle, new perspective warns
image: Implications of plastic pollution on global carbon cycle
Credit: Lifen Yao, Shaoyan Zhao, Louis A. Tremblay, Weiping Wang, Gerald A. LeBlanc & Lihui AN
A perspective article by international scientists underscores a critical new dimension to the global plastic crisis: Plastic pollution is not just harming wildlife and human health, but also disrupting the Earth’s carbon cycle in profound and lasting ways.
Over the past decades, global production and use of plastics have skyrocketed. Along with inadequate disposal, this has led to the buildup of plastic debris in oceans, soils, and even the atmosphere. According to the researchers, plastic’s immense impact on the planet’s carbon flows is often overlooked in debates about climate and sustainability.
From the moment plastics are created, they influence the carbon budget. Plastics are made almost entirely from petrochemicals, releasing substantial carbon from underground fossil reserves into the environment. The team estimates that plastic production could account for around thirteen percent of the total global carbon budget by 2050, a figure on par with operating hundreds of coal-fired power plants worldwide.
Once plastic enters the environment, its influence continues through fragmentation. Weathering and sunlight break large plastics into microplastics and nanoplastics. These tiny particles can change how carbon is processed in both land and water systems. For example, microplastics may cover algae in lakes and oceans, blocking sunlight and slowing photosynthesis, a process vital for locking away atmospheric carbon. Plastics in soil can also alter the way microbes break down organic matter, reducing the ability of soil to capture and store carbon in the long run.
Even more concerning, the study notes, are the carbon-rich additives and chemicals that leach out as plastics degrade. Each year, more than twenty thousand tons of dissolved organic carbon from plastics seep into the world’s oceans, altering the composition and health of delicate aquatic environments. Some additives, including bisphenol A and certain heavy metals, delay plant growth or disrupt essential microbes, further interfering with natural carbon cycling.
Given these findings, the authors call for urgent, multi-pronged action. Measures should include curbing single-use plastic production, promoting alternatives such as bamboo-based products, and improving recycling systems worldwide. Technologies that “close the plastic loop”, keeping materials in use for as long as possible, will be key. The scientists also support new international efforts, such as the United Nations’ push for legally binding agreements to end global plastic pollution.
Innovative research is needed, say the authors, to better understand the hidden pathways through which plastics and their byproducts alter carbon flows. This knowledge could guide the next generation of eco-friendly materials, smarter product designs, and effective global regulations.
As the world wrestles with climate change, this new analysis reinforces that plastics are much more than a litter problem on beaches or city streets. Their production, use, and ultimate fate have major, complex consequences for the planet’s ability to manage carbon, one of the most vital elements on Earth. Limiting plastic pollution, the researchers conclude, is not just about cleaner environments. It is a crucial step toward a stable climate for future generations.
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Journal reference: Yao, L., Zhao, S., Tremblay, L.A. et al. Implications of plastic pollution on global carbon cycle. Carbon Res. 4, 21 (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s44246-024-00188-z
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About Carbon Research
The journal Carbon Research is an international multidisciplinary platform for communicating advances in fundamental and applied research on natural and engineered carbonaceous materials that are associated with ecological and environmental functions, energy generation, and global change. It is a fully Open Access (OA) journal and the Article Publishing Charges (APC) are waived until Dec 31, 2025. It is dedicated to serving as an innovative, efficient and professional platform for researchers in the field of carbon functions around the world to deliver findings from this rapidly expanding field of science. The journal is currently indexed by Scopus and Ei Compendex, and as of June 2025, the dynamic CiteScore value is 15.4.