Role of Microplastics in Global Warming and Climate Change: A Review

Microplastics (MPs) have become an important concern among scientists and policymakers all around the globe. Despite this, the contribution of MPs to global warming and climate change, a significant aspect of the issue, has been overlooked. Continuous greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting in climate change have long been a major issue with apparent consequences. Climate change and plastic crises are threatening our planet, and the co-occurrence of both would be catastrophic. This article addressed the links between microplastic pollution and climate change; how MPs contribute to climate change by interacting with water, air, and soil; and recommendations to address the issues together. Throughout their lives, plastics emit GHG. MPs in water impede the climate change mitigation potential of the ocean in different ways; they hamper photosynthesis and carbon sequestration by phytoplankton and the Blue Carbon Ecosystem. MPs induce GHG emissions from the soil. Airborne MPs have the potential to aid in cloud formation and interfere with atmospheric cooling. Climate change–induced extreme events redistribute MPs in the environment, causing the pollution to increase vertically and horizontally, which then aggravates the situation in a feedback loop. The evidence acquired in the study implies that MPs and climate change are inextricably linked and that MPs play a vital role in fueling climate change. This bridges the gap between MPs and climate change issues that were previously regarded separately. Due to the linkages between these intertwined challenges, integrated and holistic research and policy measures are required to address both crises concurrently.