A new study finds that every year people create 57 million tons of plastic pollution. The material winds up everywhere from the deepest oceans to the highest peak of Mount Everest to inside people's body.

India leads the world in generating plastic pollution, producing 10.2 million tons a year (9.3 million metric tons), far more than double the next big-polluting nations, Nigeria and Indonesia. China, often villainized for pollution, ranks fourth but is making tremendous strides in reducing waste, Velis said. Other top plastic polluters are Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia and Brazil. Those eight nations are responsible for more than half of the globe’s plastic pollution, according to the study’s data.

The United States ranks 90th in plastic pollution with more than 52,500 tons (47,600 metric tons) and the United Kingdom ranks 135th with nearly 5,100 tons (4,600 metric tons), according to the study.

  • @SanctusEnglish
    4•11 days ago

    This society is really going to have to destroy itself to stop, isn’t it? I didn’t even think about that. How we’re shipping waste all around the world, shipping half built parts overseas and back just because its cheaper to put two bits together in another country. I’m pretty sure the plan at this point is everyone without a bunker dies.

    • @Zirconium
      2•11 days ago

      Parable of the sower by Octavia Butler is what I imagine