In a newly released report, the National Academy of Sciences takes direct aim at the United States as the world’s largest contributor to the plastic waste floating about in the oceans. But this misleading claim demands closer examination.
Other sources don’t support the Academy’s position that this is an American problem. The source of most of the plastic, the overwhelming majority, is Asia. Currently, China, India, and the Philippines expend little or no effort to intercept consumer-generated plastic before it goes out to sea. Those three nations are recognized as the principal generators, with the U.S. coming in a distant eighth place in one study and further down the list in others.
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