Microplastics and Climate: An Overlooked Crisis

When we think about climate change, our minds immediately go to carbon emissions, fossil fuels, or deforestation. But there’s a hidden player in this crisis that most of us never think about—microplastics.

These tiny plastic particles, often invisible to the naked eye, are everywhere—floating in our oceans, blowing in the air, and even showing up in the food we eat and the water we drink. And while microplastics are usually discussed as a pollution issue, their connection to climate change is far more serious than we realise.

What Are Microplastics, Really?

Microplastics are plastic fragments less than 5 millimeters in size. They come from:

• The breakdown of larger plastic items like bottles and bags.

• Microbeads in personal care products (think face scrubs and toothpaste).

• Fibers released from synthetic clothes during washing.

While they may look harmless, they’re not. These particles don’t just disappear—they accumulate, circulate, and disrupt ecosystems.

Microplastics & Climate Change: The Overlooked Link

Here’s how microplastics and climate change are deeply connected:

1. Plastics = Fossil Fuels

   • Over 99% of plastic is made from oil and gas. More plastic means more fossil fuel extraction, which drives up greenhouse gas emissions.

2. Warming Oceans, Breaking Plastics Faster

   • Rising global temperatures are speeding up plastic breakdown, creating even more microplastics in our seas. It’s a vicious cycle—climate change makes microplastics worse, and microplastics, in turn, worsen climate change.

3. Microplastics Trap Heat

   • New studies suggest that when microplastics float on water or settle on ice, they change how sunlight is absorbed, causing extra warming.

4. Harming Ocean Life, Weakening Our Climate Buffer

   • Oceans are our biggest carbon sink. But when marine organisms ingest microplastics, it disrupts the food chain and reduces the ocean’s ability to capture carbon—making climate change harder to fight.

Why This Should Matter to You

You might wonder, “Okay, but what does this mean for me?”

• Microplastics are now found in our lungs, blood, and even placentas.

• They threaten food security by damaging fish stocks and agriculture.

• And by worsening climate change, they’re setting us up for extreme weather, rising seas, and hotter cities.

This isn’t just an “environmental” problem—it’s a human health and survival problem.

What Can We Do?

The good news: solutions exist, and they start with us.

• Rethink Plastics → Say no to single-use plastics and opt for reusable alternatives.

• Support Policy Change → Back bans on microbeads and plastic bags.

• Choose Natural Fibers → Wash clothes made from cotton, linen, or hemp instead of synthetics.

• Push for Innovation → Encourage businesses to adopt biodegradable materials.

• Go Renewable → Every time we cut fossil fuel use, we cut plastic at its root.

The Bigger Picture

Microplastics may be small, but their impact is massive. They represent how deeply connected our choices, industries, and climate are. Fighting them isn’t just about cleaning oceans—it’s about tackling the climate crisis at every level.

The overlooked crisis of microplastics reminds us of one thing: in the fight against climate change, nothing is too small to matter.

At Ikaya Earth, we believe awareness is the first step toward change. The next step is action. Let’s rethink plastics, demand better policies, and push for a future where our planet—and our people—can breathe freely again.