“Plastic was practically unknown to our grandparents when they were little, whereas today it is indispensable in our lives. It is everywhere, from the top of the mountains to the deepest depths of the oceans . We manufacture almost a billion tons every three years; If it were transparent film like the one we use to preserve food, the production of the last decades could cover the surface of the planet. If we continue at this rate, several layers could be added by now in the middle of the century ”. This is how Jan Zalasiewicz, professor of Paleobiology in the Department of Geology at the center, summarized the conclusions of a new study by the University of Leicester (England).
Zalasiewicz and his colleagues believe that plastic is the best indicator that we have entered the Anthropocene era, that is, the post-Holocene era in which human impact on terrestrial ecosystems predominates.
This petroleum-derived material, of which we touch approximately 49 kilos per person per year, is not biodegradable and, as experts indicate, it is progressively accumulating in all parts of the planet. In the oceans they have already formed five large islands or “garbage patches” (a kind of plastic neocontinents), with the consequent harmful consequences for marine fauna and flora.
And once buried, plastic waste has a high chance of becoming fossil due to its chemical characteristics. “It may seem strange because we are talking about something very new, but they are excellent stratigraphic markers,” explains archaeologist Matt Edgeworth, co-author of the study. In fact, experts call them “techno-fossils”, and they will be the vestige of the beginning of the Anthropocene for hypothetical researchers who are dedicated to investigating the past millions of years from now.
