Assessing the impacts of plastics MASTS Webinar with Tamara Galloway (University of Exeter) - free

Plastic debris is a societal issue of global concern, illustrating the difficulties in balancing the convenience of plastic in daily life with the environmental degradation caused by careless disposal. The environmental impacts of plastic extend beyond the end-of-life issues of litter; the carbon footprint of the plastics industry already exceeds that of air travel and shipping combined, and is set to grow hugely in the future if current methods of production and patterns of use continue.

This talk will provide an overview of work at the University of Exeter in determining the impacts of plastics. It will include a summary of the ecotoxicology of microplastics, their entry into the marine food web and the biological impacts this can lead to. The future of plastics is also considered, including how the Circular Economy can provide a more sustainable vision of the future, where new materials and business models are developed and plastics never become waste.

Sign up for the upcoming MASTS webinars happening every Wednesday at 1pm throughout April and May. Talks include live Q&A with the speaker and are recorded and uploaded to the MASTS YouTube page.