ENVIRONMENT »» WATER POLLUTION »» CORAL REEFS »» May 31, 2021

The world dumps 8 million metric tons of plastics into the oceans each year, and it is estimated 150 million metric tons of plastic now circulate in this ecosystem. Most plastics take 400 years to degrade. By 2050, ocean plastic will outweigh all of the ocean’s fish. This debris has formed five giant garbage patches around the world. The largest is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch which contains an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of trash and covers an area twice the size of Texas. Ocean trash can be broken down into smaller pieces of microplastic by sun exposure and wave action - after which it can find its way into the food chain. China and Indonesia together account for one-third of all ocean plastic pollution, and 80% of this trash comes from just 20 countries, including the U.S. Proposed Legislation: H.R.4636 - PLASTICS Act (116th Congress) Prospective Sponsor: Rep. Michael McCaul (TX)