Summary
At each stage of their life cycle, plastics release debris, particles and chemicals that contaminate terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems. Plastics contribute to the three global environmental crises: pollution, loss of biodiversity and climate change.
No living organism is spared: from sea turtles to phytoplankton, from wheat to European hedgehogs, from pike to grey herons, all organisms are affected by this pollution. Largely invisible because it consists mainly of micro- and nanoplastics, this pollution is now present in all ecosystems.
This book, the result of a collective work involving scientists from several research organizations and universities, addresses the various facets of this global problem. It draws on the latest scientific advances that improved the quantification and characterization of this pollution, and the knowledge on its impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning - via biomonitoring, the sentinel species approach, ecotoxicology and other innovative approaches. The authors also propose a regulatory framework, as well as solutions or alternatives for public policy to meet the challenges posed by this threat.
This book is aimed at decision-makers, researchers and students in ecology, biology and environmental sciences, as well as the general public who want to gain a better understanding of the many forms taken by plastic pollution and the issues it raises.
Read the foreword - Angèle Préville et Philippe Bolo
Table of contents
Acknowledgements
Philippe Jarne
Foreword
Angèle Préville and Philippe Bolo
Introduction
Fabienne Lagarde and Pascale Fabre
Plastics: a revolutionary material
Plastics at the confluence of the triple planetary crisis of climate, pollution and biodiversity
From the presence of plastic to its impacts
Part 1. A world under plastic
Introduction
Jean-François Ghiglione
Chapter 1. What are plastics and their debris?
Roxane Danquigny, Cloé Veclin, Javier Jimenez-Lamana, Bruno Grassl and Stéphanie Reynaud
Plastic materials: history, production and uses
When plastics become waste
Waste: from macroplastics to nanoplastics
Chapter 2. Environmental monitoring: how to quantify, characterize and track plastic pollution?
Marie-France Dignac, Wolfgang Ludwig, Philippe Kerhervé, Bruno Charrière, Gaël Le Roux, Gaëlle Darmon, Franck Lartaud and Jean-Christophe Auguet
Microplastics in soils: sources, content and fate
Plastics in rivers: how can we track them and quantify their contribution to the sea?
Mass balance and the mountain critical zone: quantification in an experimental watershed
In search of sentinels of plastic pollution in the environment
Conclusion
References
Part 2. Impacts on organisms
Introduction
Chapter 1. Impacts on continental organisms
Camille Larue, Franck Gilbert, Gaëlle Darmon and Claude Miaud
Interactions between plastic particles and terrestrial plants
Impacts on terrestrial and aquatic engineering organisms
Impacts on terrestrial and river fauna
Chapter 2. Impacts on marine organisms
Karen D. McCoy, Marion Vittecoq, Xavier Cousin, Gaëlle Darmon, Claude Miaud, Jean-Christophe Auguet and Franck Lartaud
Seabirds, model species for plastic pollution
Impacts on fish
Ingestion of plastics in sea turtles
Impacts on marine engineering organisms
Entanglement phenomena, a direct impact on marine organisms
Conclusion
References
Part 3. Impacts on ecosystems
Introduction
Chapter 1. Impacts on soil functions
Marie-France Dignac
Impacts on soil biodiversity
Impacts on plant production
Disruption of biogeochemical cycles impacting plant nutrient cycles
Impacts on other soil functions: water content, density, porosity
Still little known, the impact of plastic chemicals
Chapter 2. Impacts on coastal ecosystems and marine food webs
Ika Paul-Pont, Kevin Tallec and Arnaud Huvet
Coastal ecosystems: a pathway for plastic waste to enter the sea
Impacts on phytoplankton, the first link in the trophic chain
Trophic transfer
Impacts on coastal engineering species
Seafood contamination and food safety
Chapter 3: Impacts on the seabed
François Galgani
Heterogeneous distribution
Fishing gear
Significant impacts on ecosystems
What are the prospects?
Chapter 4. Plastics, vectors of harmful micro-organisms and pollutants
Ika Paul-Pont, Gaëtan Burgaud, Jean-François Briand, Arnaud Huvet and Mélanie Ourgaud
Plastics: floating rafts and a new ecological niche
Plastics: source and vector of a cocktail of contaminants
Conclusion
References
Part 4. The plastics transition: what obligations, what alternatives and what solutions for what impacts on biodiversity?
Introduction
Chapter 1: Regulatory issues
Loïc Peyen and François Galgani
Existing regulations and obligations
What regulations for tomorrow?
Chapter 2. Towards circular management of plastic waste to protect biodiversity
Emmanuelle Gastaldi
The end-of-life of plastic packaging
Plastic waste management and the circular economy
Chapter 3. Biodegradable plastics: a solution to plastic pollution?
Jean-François Ghiglione
What is the definition of a biodegradable plastic?
Are these plastics biodegradable in all environments?
What are biodegradable plastics used for?
Can the use of biodegradable plastics be dangerous?
How is biodegradability measured?
What are the limits of standard biodegradability tests?
Conclusion
References
General conclusion
Stemming plastic pollution, a new paradigm for research
Widespread awareness, but a response that falls short of the stakes
References
List of coordinators, authors and contributors
Coordination of the book
Authors / contributors
Iconographic credits
