Basic geography informs us that the planet is majorly water, especially oceans and seas. As such, marine pollution has serious repercussions on the global geochemical cycles. The material can degrade to have disastrous consequences for marine life. A marine scientist from Plymouth University coined the term microplastic that refers to the microscopic fragments of plastics that are consumed by aquatic creatures.
Plastic bags are among the top five items found in beach and river cleanups. It is estimated that between 10 and 20 million tons of plastic find their way into the oceans and seas every year. The Independent reports that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish. Further, it is thought that 99% of all sea birds have consumed microplastics.
What is even more troubling is that the plastic would eventually be consumed by humans as food. The sea creatures consume the before mentioned microplastics, and some of the sea creatures are popular in human cuisine! In 2015 alone, 92.5 million tons of seafood was caught for human consumption.