“Clear and sunny skies”. Parisian temperatures in recent days are finally back to seasonal averages. However, a new weather indicator threatens to affect the good mood of city dwellers: that of plastic pollution measured in the capital. The plastic showers expected this Friday in Paris should reach up to 40kg, according to the “plastic weather” developed by the Australian foundation Minderoo. The initiative – a first in France – was inaugurated on Thursday by the Ministry of Ecology Christophe Béchu and journalist Chloé Nabédian, a former weather presenter. Weekly plastic pollution forecasts are available and accessible to everyone via the Plasticforecast.com website.
Although Minderoo does not measure the plastic floating in the atmosphere in real time, the bulletin published by the foundation nevertheless enjoys solid scientific credibility. Minderoo is based on research and surveys carried out in Paris since 2015. This work has shown that the quantity of plastic collected increases considerably when it rains, because the humidity captures and aggregates the particles together. Australian scientists thus extrapolate, depending on the weather, a level of “plastic rain” which fluctuates between 40 and 420 kilos per day in Paris.
The foundation hopes that this operation will raise awareness among citizens and leaders, while negotiations for a future international treaty on plastic pollution will be held on Monday in Paris. As we suspected, these torrents of plastics are not without risk for our health and that of animals. “Plastic pollution is a huge problem to which no solutions have been found to date, deplores Stephen Gaisford, communication officer at Minderoo. The particles degrade in the environment, then end up in our bodies, or those of animals, causing serious damage”.
The deleterious impact of plastics on the ecosystem and on health is corroborated by numerous scientific publications. According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), plastic debris kills more than a million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals each year. Microplastics, resulting from the decomposition of waste, but also emitted by all materials incorporating plastic (paints, textiles, tires), are the most formidable.
According to a study published at the end of March in the journal Nature Ecology
Despite these serious risks, public opinion is still too little aware of the danger of plastic, judge Stephan Gaisford. “People don’t feel very concerned, because if plastic is present everywhere, it is often in invisible form, such as in water or the atmosphere,” he says. Plastic pollution is also “absent from classic weather reports“, underlines Chloé Nabédian, when the levels of fine particles or ozone have been there for a long time.
So, to capture the attention of Parisians, Minderoo pulled out all the stops: a conference at the Climate Academy, a campaign on social networks, advertising displays in the metros… “We want the plastic pollution indicator to become as concerning as the classic subway. That people wonder, on leaving, how much plastic it is raining, as one wonders if there is sun, ”explains the representative of Minderoo.
It remains to convince international diplomats. Last year, under the aegis of the United Nations, 175 nations adopted a historic resolution to conclude a legally binding treaty against plastic pollution. Will the second round of negotiations, scheduled for May 29 to June 2, lead to a consensus? On the Plasticforecast site, an option entitled “change the forecasts” opens in any case the possibility of signing an open letter addressed to the negotiators. According to the OECD, in the absence of measures, the annual production of plastics could triple by 2060. It would then reach 1.2 billion tonnes.
