An investigation of the impacts of plastic litter on the marine environment and implications for human populations

Abstract

An increasing amount of plastic waste enters the marine environment each year. Their long durability leads to plastics persisting over extended periods of time and accumulating in the oceans. Plastics have numerous adverse effects on marine wildlife, threatening the ecosystem services marine environments provide for billions of people worldwide. The aim of this thesis is therefore to analyse the impacts plastic debris has on marine wildlife and the implications resulting for human populations based on a bibliometric analysis. In a second part, the thesis explores the awareness of people on the issue and what might influence it with a survey conducted with German adults in course of the study “COVID-19 and single use plastic in German households”. From the findings of the bibliometric analysis and the results of the survey, possible interventions are drawn to combat the impact of plastic waste on the marine environment.