[ti:Plastic Pollution at Sea Reaches Worrying Level] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]A report on hundreds of research studies [00:03.36]says plastic pollution at sea is reaching worrying levels. [00:09.32]The report warned that pollution will continue to grow [00:13.56]even if immediate action is taken to stop such waste [00:17.92]from reaching the world's oceans. [00:21.92]The report, by Germany's Alfred Wegener Institute, [00:26.24]examined almost 2,600 research studies on plastic pollution. [00:34.24]"We find it in the deepest ocean trenches, [00:37.88]at the sea surface and in Arctic sea ice," [00:42.08]said biologist Melanie Bergmann. [00:45.44]She is one of the report's writers. [00:50.16]Some areas, such as the Mediterranean, [00:53.72]East China and Yellow Seas, [00:56.60]already contain dangerous levels of plastic. [01:02.16]Other bodies of water risk becoming increasingly polluted [01:06.80]in the future, the report found. [01:10.96]The writers reported that almost every kind of ocean animal [01:15.72]has been affected by plastic pollution. [01:20.00]That pollution is harming important environmental systems [01:24.56]such as coral reefs and mangroves. [01:29.20]As plastic breaks down into smaller pieces, [01:33.04]it is eaten by many different sea creatures, [01:36.64]from whales to turtles to extremely small plankton. [01:42.84]Bergmann said getting that plastic out of the water again [01:47.32]is nearly impossible. [01:50.64]She added that policymakers should center their efforts [01:55.28]on preventing any more pollution from entering the oceans. [02:01.44]Some of the studies showed that even if this were to happen today, [02:05.84]the amount of microplastic in the seas [02:08.84]would keep increasing for years to come, she said. [02:14.40]Matthew MacLeod is a professor of environmental science [02:18.40]at Stockholm University. [02:21.32]He was not involved in the report. [02:24.08]He said it appeared to be a good examination [02:28.88]of existing studies on the effects of plastic pollution. [02:34.24]"The part that can be argued about [02:36.60]is whether there is enough evidence to warrant aggressive action [02:41.12]that will certainly disrupt current practices [02:44.52]for plastic production, use and disposal," he said. [02:50.64]MacLeod was involved in a separate study [02:53.88]that also found that immediate measures are required [02:58.16]because of the possible worldwide effects. [03:02.84]Heike Vesper is with the World Wildlife Fund, [03:06.88]the environmental group that ordered the Wegener Institute study. [03:12.72]She said people can help reduce plastic pollution [03:16.80]by changing their behavior. [03:20.08]But she added that governments [03:22.44]must help in dealing with the problem. [03:26.68]"What we need is a good policy framework," Vesper said. [03:32.24]"It's a global problem and it needs global solutions." [03:38.76]The United Nations Environment Assembly [03:41.92]is expected to meet and discuss [03:44.64]the plastic pollution problem later this month. [03:49.56]I'm Jonathan Evans. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM