What do seabirds and the insurance industry have in common? When it comes to plastic, they are the new canaries in the coalmine. Plastic pollution and marine litter pose significant risks to human health and the environment and create increasingly challenging and costly ecological, social and economic risks. With global plastic production increasing exponentially, satisfying our insatiable appetite for plastic while limiting environmental damage has proved incredibly challenging for regulators at both a national and global level. This essay explores the importance of marine biodiversity and highlights the concerning health effects of microplastics for human health, which should act as a wakeup call for decisive action. As scientific consensus builds linking the harmful effects of plastic to human health and legal doctrines develop, corporate liabilities and risks are increasing significantly. To date the regulatory landscape has failed to address the sources and cumulative impacts of plastic pollution. Implementing effective change requires a radical and fundamental transformation of socioeconomic values and how we act, value, and think about the natural world. Appropriate legislative reform requires a holistic approach which reconceptualises the focus of plastic as waste and targets plastics across all stages of its life cycle, from production to disposal.
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