The Staggering Amount of Plastic We’ve Produced—And What We've Done With It. Scientists have calculated the total amount of plastic ever made. Spoiler alert: it’s a lot. But what’s even more disturbing is where all this plastic is ending up. Since large- scale production of plastics began in the 1.

Of this, 6. 3 billion tons—around 7. Such is the conclusion reached by a team of researchers from the University of Georgia, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and the Sea Education Association.

Now published in Science Advances, it’s the first global analysis of the production, use, and fate of all the plastics our species has ever produced—and it’s showing just how badly we need to rethink plastic, and why we’re using so much of it. For the study, the researchers compiled global production statistics for resins, fibers, and additives from various industry sources, breaking them down according to type and consuming sector. They found that annual global production of plastics skyrocketed, from two million metric tons in 1. That’s a level of growth not seen in any other material, save for construction where concrete and and steel are king. But unlike concrete and steel—materials that hold our infrastructure together—plastic tends to be thrown away after just one use. That’s because a hefty portion of it is used for packaging. Roughly half of all the plastic that exists was made in the last 1.

Since large-scale production of plastics began in the 1950s, our civilization has produced a whopping 8.3 billion tons of the stuff. Of this, 6.3 billion tons. Back in April, the family of Pakistan’s scandal-plagued prime minister landed in the crosshairs of an investigation relating to the leaked Panama Papers.

InformationWeek.com: News, analysis and research for business technology professionals, plus peer-to-peer knowledge sharing. Engage with our community. Chatting with your friends is great and all, but the Switch online app’s best Splatoon 2 feature is Annie’s SplatNet Gear Shop, featuring a rotating stock of. News, reviews, previews, tips, and downloads for multiple platforms.

Inside Cannabis. Financial, legislative, agricultural, and all the other most important news about the cannabis industry. The Ranking System in Halo: Reach is based on Credits (cR) earned through Forge, Multiplayer. Ever notice how Christopher Nolan’s movies (Interstellar, Inception, The Prestige) feel like an anxiety attack? Well, maybe that’s overstating things a bit.

Of this, a mere nine percent has been recycled and 1. Nearly 8. 0 percent of all plastic waste has accumulated in landfills or the natural environment. Back in 2. 01. 5, the same team of researchers estimated that around eight million tons of plastic poured into the ocean in 2.

The researchers predict that, if things continue the way they are now, around 1. That’s right—1. 2 billion tons. That number is practically impossible to fathom.

That’s about 3. 5,0. Vga Driver 4 10 Win 98 Download. Empire State building, and about a tenth the weight of all the biomass on Earth.

We humans are steadily introducing a new material into the fabric of the planet—a synthetic compound that can last anywhere from 5. It’s yet further evidence that we’ve entered into a new planetary era, one dubbed the Anthropocene. For years, the term “Anthropocene” has been used to informally describe the human era on Earth.

In addition to cluttering our waterways, oceans, and highway off ramps, plastics are a hazard to animals and human health. Plastic bottles are particularly problematic; around 5. United States alone. From an environmental perspective, an estimated 1. US for a year), not to mention the oil that’s burned while transporting them. Rather, they’re asking manufacturers to reevaluate the reasons for using plastics in the first place, and to come up with alternatives.

Scientists should also devise new, high tech methods to degrade plastic and potentially convert it into liquid fuel or useful energy. At the same time, we need to be smarter about the way we dispose of plastic, both at the waste- management level (Sweden, for example, has its recycling act together) and in our homes. Remember this study the next time you reach for that rather convenient plastic water bottle.