Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering - Chapter 16: Climate change interaction with microplastics and nanoplastics pollution

Plastic pollution is considered one of the most threatening environmental issues of the 21st century. Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) have significantly contributed to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and hence it has an impact on climate change. Methane and ethylene are the two main greenhouse gases that are produced from the most used plastics when exposed to ambient solar radiation. On the one hand, the pollution caused by the MP and NP can impact the gas exchange and CO2 circulation, resulting in higher greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, climate change has an impact on MPs and NPs. For example, the terrestrial plastic, windborne plastic, plastic resuspension from sediment, and plastic persistence have been increased because of the impact of the climate change. The interactions between plastic pollution and climate change have yet to be entirely understood as this topic has only recently gained attention. Literature showed that the interactions between plastic pollution and climate change are significant and cannot be overlooked. It has been proven that MPs have deleterious effects on the environment that cannot be ignored. There are some efforts of mitigating the potential impact of MPs on the environment such as recycling the plastics and ocean plastic clean-up.