Plastic Pollution: are there solutions to this global environmental challenge?

Professor Richard Thompson (Professor of Marine Biology and Director, Marine Institute, University of Plymouth) will deliver a lecture which will be followed by a question and answer session.

Plastic pollution presents a global environmental challenge with negative impacts right along the supply chain from material extraction to remediation. Plastic debris is widely distributed at the sea surface, on the seabed and on shorelines. Over 1300 species are known to encounter marine litter, with many reports of physical harm resulting from entanglement in and ingestion of plastic. At the same time, it is very clear that plastic items bring many societal benefits. Can these benefits be achieved without the current environmental impacts? Progress requires systemic changes in the way we produce, use and dispose of plastic. Is the UN plastics treaty on track to deliver the necessary changes?

Richard Thompson is a Professor of Marine Biology and Director of the University of Plymouth, Marine Institute. He is a world expert on plastic pollution. In 2004, he published the first paper describing the accumulation of microscopic fragments of plastic in the environment, naming them ‘microplastics’. His team have been at the forefront of research describing the distribution and impacts of plastic debris in the environment. This pioneering work was pivotal in recognition of microplastic contamination in policy, such as Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Increasingly his work focus on evaluating the efficacy of solutions to this global environmental challenge. Richard was awarded am OBE for services to Marine Science in 2018 and his team were awarded the Queens Anniversary Prize for their pioneering work on microplastics in 2020. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2021.

This is one of the events in the on-going China Forum Seminar series, hosted by the China Forum, Jesus College. The seminars, given by eminent speakers, cover a broad range of topics and disciplines.

This is a virtual seminar. Attendance is free. Advance booking is required by emailing: china-forum@jesus.cam.ac.uk.  Priority will be given to members of Jesus College and the University of Cambridge.