It's raining "microplastics" from the sky...｜Environmental Trumpet

Hello everyone, this is the 2nd issue of the Environmental Trumpet column. Our Natural Trumpet column is very popular with readers. In addition to species, we hope to bring more environmental research and news that deserve attention. In this column, you can see different topics such as climate, pollution, energy, agriculture, etc., and learn about the recent changes in our environment, as well as the good and bad news.

In this issue, we have collected the following environmental research and news worth reading:

1) Hurricanes carry microplastics from the Atlantic Ocean to land

2) The first World Cup of Trash Pickup was held in Tokyo

3) Concerned about the hazards of PFAS, the Dutch authorities call on the public not to swallow seawater

4) About 5 million people die each year from air pollution caused by fossil fuels

5) NDRC issued the “Three-Year Action Plan to Accelerate the Development of Bamboo Instead of Plastic”

6) The average temperature in 2024 may be 1.5℃ higher than before industrialization for the first time

Microplastic Rain

A recent study found that Hurricane Lary in 2021 brought a " rain of microplastics ."

In 2021, Hurricane Larry made landfall on Newfoundland, Canada. At the time, scientists used equipment to collect things that fell from the sky brought by the hurricane - of course, a lot of it was rain, but a large amount of microplastics were also collected. When there was no hurricane, wind, precipitation, etc. would also bring microplastics, with tens of thousands of microplastics falling per square meter of land in a day; but when the hurricane hit, this number soared to 113,000 .

Hurricane Larry | Lance Modis / NASA

But the real number is likely to be more than 113,000. This study focused on plastic fragments of 1.2 microns, and smaller microplastics would not be detected by the instrument and would not be included in the number. These microplastics come in many types and may come from different items such as clothes, plastic bags, and tires.

These microplastics were brought from the sea by hurricanes. Through modeling, researchers found that Hurricane Larry happened to pass through the garbage belt of the North Atlantic circulation , where a large amount of plastic garbage floats. The hurricane swept those tiny and light plastic fragments into the air and then dumped them on land. In addition to hurricanes, wind and ocean currents can also spread microplastics between different regions.

World Cup Trash Pickup

Last month, the first World Cup of Waste Picking was held in Tokyo, Japan, and the British team won the championship.

The competition is called SpoGomi, which is a combination of "sport" and "gomi" in Japanese. The competition has been held 230 times in Japan. Competition site | Kim Kyung-Hoon / Reuters

A total of 21 countries including the United States, France, and Australia participated in the competition. Each team consisted of three players, who had to pick up garbage in designated areas in Shibuya and Omotesando within 90 minutes and correctly sort the garbage within 20 minutes. In the end, the British team won the championship with 57.27 kg of garbage.

Organizers said the event was designed to raise awareness of environmental issues, especially plastic waste in the oceans. The next edition is expected to be held in 2025.

Swallowing sea foam

Due to concerns about ingestion of PFAS, Dutch authorities have warned that children and pets should not ingest sea foam .

PFAS is a type of fluorinated surfactant that has good heat resistance, oil resistance and water resistance. It has been widely used in many products such as non-stick cookware, umbrellas and raincoats, cleaning products, etc. As people understand the toxicity of PFAS, they gradually stop using PFAS; however, PFAS still exists in the environment - this type of substance is difficult to decompose in the natural environment and will accumulate in organisms for a long time, and is a persistent organic pollutant .

Previous studies have found PFAS in seawater foam off the coast of Belgium, and this year, the Dutch health agency conducted a study off the coast of the Netherlands and also found PFAS in seawater foam . The agency also previously found that the Dutch have been exposed to such substances too much through drinking water and food.

Zandvoort Beach in the Netherlands, one of the locations where PFAS was detected | Remko de Waal/EPA

Although the concentration of PFAS is not high enough to ban swimming, for health reasons, the Dutch Minister of Water Management called on the public to take a shower after swimming, wash hands before eating, and prevent children and pets from swallowing sea foam.

Death from air pollution

Air pollution from fossil fuels kills around 5 million people each year worldwide, a new study published in the British Medical Journal found.

Fossil fuels cause air pollution | Pixabay

After analyzing data from 2019, researchers found that in one year, about 8.34 million people worldwide died from long-term exposure to PM2.5 and ozone air pollution ; South Asia and East Asia were the most serious, followed by Eastern Europe, the Middle East and West Africa.

Further analysis found that fossil fuels accounted for 61% of deaths, or about 5.13 million people died each year from air pollution caused by fossil fuel emissions . More than half of these emissions came from coal combustion, including steel and iron making, oil refining, power generation, transportation and other human activities.

Therefore, replacing fossil fuels with clean energy and reducing air pollution caused by fossil fuels can not only slow down the trend of global warming, but also save millions of lives.

Bamboo instead of plastic

Last month, the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments issued the "Three-Year Action Plan to Accelerate the Development of Bamboo Replacing Plastic ", planning to initially establish an industrial system of "Bamboo Replacing Plastic" by 2025.

The plan mentions that bamboo, as a fast-growing and degradable biomass material, can be used as an important substitute for plastic , and "replacing plastic with bamboo" can be an effective solution to reduce plastic pollution. The goal of the action plan is to initially establish an industrial system for "replacing plastic with bamboo" by 2025, increase the comprehensive added value of the main products of "replacing plastic with bamboo" by more than 20%, and increase the comprehensive utilization rate of bamboo by 20 percentage points.

You can search for bamboo keyboards and mice on e-commerce platforms｜Taobao

The action plan also released the "Bamboo Replacement for Plastic" Main Product List, which includes bamboo products in multiple categories, such as daily necessities, industrial production, and construction materials. In addition to the more common bamboo pen holders, bamboo furniture, bamboo tableware, and bamboo decorative materials, there are also bamboo mobile phone cases , bamboo mice , bamboo keyboards , and bamboo biodegradable bags.

Breaking 1.5℃

2023 is not over yet, but according to current data, this year has become the hottest year on record. However, the UK Meteorological Office recently predicted that 2024 may be hotter than 2023 and may even exceed 1.5℃ for the first time .

According to forecasts, based on the average temperature of the pre-industrial period (1850-1900), the average temperature in 2024 will be 1.34℃-1.58℃ higher. This not only means that the global temperature will be more than 1℃ higher than the pre-industrial level for 11 consecutive years, but also that it may exceed 1.5℃ for the first time next year.

Since 2014, the average temperature has been 1°C or more above pre-industrial levels every year | Met Office

In 2015, the Paris Agreement reached a temperature target: based on the pre-industrial average temperature, the global average temperature rise should be controlled within 2°C, preferably below 1.5°C. Although the target of the Paris Agreement refers to the long-term average temperature - if it temporarily exceeds 1.5°C in 2024, it does not mean a violation of the Paris Agreement; but once this record-breaking high temperature occurs, 2024 will undoubtedly become an important node in climate history .

Professor Adam Scaife of the UK Met Office said that although the El Niño phenomenon has partly driven the rise in global temperatures, the main driving force behind the record-breaking global temperatures is the continued human activities since the Industrial Revolution .

Natural mailbox

2023 is coming to an end. What interesting natural fragments have you captured in the past year?

My colleague @黑jio妹妹 from the editorial department took a photo of the "craniotomy" meteor:

A fireball captured at Yulong Snow Mountain during the Geminid meteor shower on December 14

@小手工 and @奇奇 started composting last winter, and then planted water spinach and girl fruit (why are there no photos of the harvest? Because they later died in the 40-degree heat in Beijing...):

References

[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-023-01115-7

[2] https://www.reuters.com/sports/britain-wins-litter-picking-world-cup-with-load-rubbish-2023-11-24/

[3] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/13/netherlands-children-not-swallow-sea-foam-pfas-concerns

[4] https://www.bmj.com/content/383/bmj-2023-077784

[5] https://www.ndrc.gov.cn/xxgk/zcfb/tz/202311/P020231102357126672327.pdf

[6] https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/press-office/news/weather-and-climate/2023/2024-first-chance-of-year-above-1.5-c-say-climate-scientists

Author: Mai Mai

Edit: Small towel

Title image source: Pixabay