India plays a significant role to say the least in plastic pollution in our oceans. Here are some key facts:
Annual Plastic Waste Dumping: In 2020, India was the worst country for plastic waste in the oceans, dumping approximately 126.5 million kg of plastic each year. To put this into perspective, that weight is equivalent to over 250 thousand bottlenose dolphins, one of the most commonly found dolphin species in the ocean.
Comparison with the United States: Despite the United States producing double the amount of plastic waste annually compared to India (42 billion kg), only 2.4 million kg of it ends up in our oceans. This discrepancy could be due to the fact that the U.S. exports a significant portion of its waste to countries like India, which may have less effective waste management systems.
Exporting Plastic Waste: In 2018, the United States exported 157 thousand shipping containers filled with plastic waste, equivalent to approximately 1.07 million kg of plastic. While some of this waste went to countries with good waste management systems, a substantial amount was shipped to countries like India, which struggle with plastic waste management.
Collective Impact: The top five plastic waste dumpers globally contribute an astonishing 314 million kg of plastic into the ocean each year. India’s contribution remains a critical environmental challenge.
Here’s the list of the top 10 countries based on plastic waste dumped into the oceans:
- India: 126.5 million kg
- China: 70.7 million kg
- Indonesia: 56.3 million kg
- Brazil: 38 million kg
- Thailand: 22.8 million kg
- Mexico: 3.5 million kg
- Egypt: 2.5 million kg
- United States: 2.4 million kg
- Japan: 1.8 million kg
- United Kingdom: 703 thousand kg11
Efforts to address plastic pollution are crucial to safeguard marine life and ocean ecosystems. 🌊🐬
P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.