SEC 308 Plastic Pollution and Environmental Impacts

This course aims to introduce students to the topic of anthropogenic debris pollution, especially of (micro)plastic pollution, its distribution and impacts on the environment, and regional and global measures to tackle plastic pollution.

Topics include types of anthropogenic debris, history of production and use of plastic material and its different types, global and regional distribution patterns and future projections of plastic pollution, sources, distribution pathways and sinks of plastic debris, definition of microplastics, (micro)plastic pollution analysis methods, effects on ecosystems and organisms, plastic waste management, Global Plastics Treaty Agreement and regional policies applied to tackle plastic pollution.