The Current Scenario of Plastic Pollution
Using synthetic biology to save the environment: The inspiration behind our project!
Picture: A drain being clogged by pet bottles
(Picture Copyright- Jwakibia, source- https://jwakibia.medium.com/plastic-drains-93800ea1184e )
Plastic pollution is something we all are somewhat aware of, but living in a developed country it is hard to estimate and realise its direct effects.
Due to massive use of PET bottles, major clogging occurs in a lot of the developing and least developed countries having a poor drainage system. Such water clogging causes transmission of water borne diseases, disrupts the movement and productivity of the people and causes irreversible damage to the ecosystem.
One of our team members, Rafeul, coming from Bangladesh, has first hand experience of how this kind of water clogging disrupts normal life. Once he saw an ambulance being stuck in the water clog, causing a patient to fight for their life because the car couldn’t move.
Picture: A man carries plastic bottles for recycling in Nairobi, Kenya. Photograph: Ben Curtis/AP
In the developing world, mismanaged waste is silently claiming countless lives, causing unimaginable pain and suffering. According to the Guardian report, “mismanaged waste kills up to a million people a year globally”. The report reveals a horrifying reality where preventable causes snatch away hundreds of thousands of lives every year, leaving grieving families in their wake. Plastic waste compounds this tragedy, introducing new dimensions of danger through blocked waterways, devastating floods, and the insidious release of toxins that poison both the environment and vulnerable communities.
Figure: PET plastic causing microplastic pollution,
Copyright: PET microplastics toxicity on marine key species is influenced by pH, particle size and food variations Manuela Piccardo et.al, published in Science of the Total Environment
The situation takes a new dimension in the developed countries, with the occurrence of microplastic pollution.
Microplastic pollution is a serious and growing problem that affects not only marine ecosystems, but also freshwater and terrestrial environments. Microplastics are small plastic fragments, fibers, beads or pellets that are less than 5 mm in size and can originate from various sources, such as the degradation of larger plastic items, the abrasion of car tires, the washing of synthetic textiles, or the use of personal care products (Zhang et al.). Microplastics can be ingested by animals, accumulate in their tissues, and transfer along the food chain, posing potential risks to their health and biodiversity. Microplastics can also carry harmful chemicals, pathogens, or invasive species, and affect water quality and nutrient cycles. According to a report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), plastic pollution in oceans and other bodies of water could more than double by 2030, unless urgent action is taken to reduce plastic production and consumption (UN News). The report also warns that plastics are a climate problem, as they contribute to greenhouse gas emissions throughout their life cycle. Although recycling and waste management are important measures to mitigate plastic pollution, the report emphasizes the need for a systemic transformation across the whole value chain, from fossil fuels to renewable energies, from linear to circular models, and from global to local solutions (UN News).
The developed countries are at the forefront of the biological revolution, and it is a moral responsibility to solve such a pressing issue that takes away so many lives. The Aalto Helsinki Igem Team 2023 is harnessing the powers of synthetic biology to solve this problem, and along the way, create alternative protein from the biomass that will be produced.
The wet lab activities of this ambitious project have kickstarted, and we are excited about spending the whole summer solving a problem that can create a great impact in the environment of the world!
Stay tuned to hear more about our projects, and get to learn more about the amazing world of synthetic biology!
UN News. "Plastic pollution on course to double by 2030." UN News , 21 Oct. 2021, https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1103692.
Zhang, Kai et al. "Freshwater microplastics pollution: Detecting and visualizing emerging trends." Science of The Total Environment , vol. 703, 2020, p. 134637.
