Science is revealing the scale of microplastic pollution

The SEA Plastics 2022 team: Numa, Anne-Laure, Alice, Clara and Laurine © Jamani Caillet/EPFL - Plastics are everywhere in our environment, even inside living organisms. This article looks at the impact of this major pollution risk and accompanies our report on the SEA Plastics expedition, which is currently crisscrossing the Mediterranean to raise awareness of the issue. Nowhere on Earth is free from microplastics. These tiny particles have been discovered at the top of Mount Everest, at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, on the most remote beaches in the South Pacific, in the leaves of trees and even inside our organs. The scientific community is gradually coming to understand this pervasive, multifaceted problem. And while uncertainties remain as to the true scale of microplastic pollution, we are learning more and more about its impact on ecosystems, biodiversity, the climate and human health. This article - on the importance of this major pollution risk - accompanies a report on a week spent with SEA Plastics, a non-profit organization that conducts an annual research expedition in the Mediterranean.