A mess of plastic It is not clear what strategies will be most effective in mitigating harm from the global problem of plastic pollution. Borrelle et al. and Lau et al. discuss possible solutions and their impacts. Both groups found that substantial reductions in plastic-waste generation can be made in the coming decades with immediate, concerted, and vigorous action, but even in the best case scenario, huge quantities of plastic will still accumulate in the environment. Science, this issue p. 1515, p. 1455 Even the most optimistic scenario projects huge amounts of plastic pollution in the coming decades. Plastic pollution is a planetary threat, affecting nearly every marine and freshwater ecosystem globally. In response, multilevel mitigation strategies are being adopted but with a lack of quantitative assessment of how such strategies reduce plastic emissions. We assessed the impact of three broad management strategies, plastic waste reduction, waste management, and environmental recovery, at different levels of effort to estimate plastic emissions to 2030 for 173 countries. We estimate that 19 to 23 million metric tons, or 11%, of plastic waste generated globally in 2016 entered aquatic ecosystems. Considering the ambitious commitments currently set by governments, annual emissions may reach up to 53 million metric tons per year by 2030. To reduce emissions to a level well below this prediction, extraordinary efforts to transform the global plastics economy are needed.

中文翻译：

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预计塑料垃圾的增长超过了减轻塑料污染的努力

一堆塑料 目前尚不清楚哪些策略最能有效减轻全球塑料污染问题的危害。博雷尔等人。和刘等人。讨论可能的解决方案及其影响。两个小组都发现，在未来几十年内，可以通过立即、协调和有力的行动大幅减少塑料废物的产生，但即使在最好的情况下，大量塑料仍然会在环境中积聚。科学，这个问题 p。1515，第。1455 即使是最乐观的情景也预测未来几十年会出现大量塑料污染。塑料污染是一种地球威胁，几乎影响到全球每个海洋和淡水生态系统。作为回应，正在采用多级缓解战略，但缺乏对此类战略如何减少塑料排放的定量评估。我们评估了三个广泛的管理战略，塑料废物减少、废物管理和环境恢复，在不同层面的影响，以估计 173 个国家到 2030 年的塑料排放量。我们估计 2016 年全球产生的塑料垃圾中有 19 到 2300 万吨，即 11% 进入了水生生态系统。考虑到各国政府目前制定的雄心勃勃的承诺，到 2030 年，每年的排放量可能高达 5300 万吨。为了将排放量减少到远低于这一预测的水平，需要做出非凡的努力来改变全球塑料经济。塑料废物减少、废物管理和环境恢复，以不同程度的努力来估计 173 个国家到 2030 年的塑料排放量。我们估计 2016 年全球产生的塑料垃圾中有 19 到 2300 万吨，即 11% 进入了水生生态系统。考虑到各国政府目前制定的雄心勃勃的承诺，到 2030 年，每年的排放量可能高达 5300 万吨。为了将排放量减少到远低于这一预测的水平，需要做出非凡的努力来改变全球塑料经济。塑料废物减少、废物管理和环境恢复，以不同程度的努力来估计 173 个国家到 2030 年的塑料排放量。我们估计 2016 年全球产生的塑料垃圾中有 19 到 2300 万吨，即 11% 进入了水生生态系统。考虑到各国政府目前制定的雄心勃勃的承诺，到 2030 年，每年的排放量可能高达 5300 万吨。为了将排放量减少到远低于这一预测的水平，需要做出非凡的努力来改变全球塑料经济。