""We can say with confidence that overall they are warming agents," study coauthor Drew Shindell stated, emphasizing the importance of recognizing microplastics in climate discussions."
""It's not a 'trivial' amount," Shindell noted, explaining that the heating from microplastic pollution is roughly equal to 200 coal-fired power plants running over a year."
Microplastics are absorbing more sunlight than they reflect, leading to net heating of the planet. Although their impact is less than greenhouse gases, it is significant. Current climate models do not account for microplastics, which have been largely overlooked in climate research. A study found that microplastics could generate up to one-sixth the warming of black carbon. The heating from microplastic pollution is comparable to emissions from 200 coal-fired power plants annually, highlighting their long-term environmental impact.
Read at Futurism
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