The journey of a piece of microplastics

Once hailed as one of the greatest invention in the 20th century, the high durability, bio-inertness and low thermal conductivity of plastics make it an ideal material for a wide variety of household goods, clothing, packaging and personal care products. Nonetheless, these very same properties also turn plastics into a nightmare for the environment. Plastics are now found in almost every corner of the planet Earth and in the body of many microbes, organisms and human beings. While the public focuses on the ecotoxicology of microplastics, their linkage to climate change should not be neglected. In this talk, I will bring the audience to follow the footprint of a piece of plastics from its birth to death to have a better understanding of how its life is closely tied to the planet’s destiny, and more importantly, how interdisciplinary collaboration will be critical for us and the future generations to tackle the challenges posed by the plastics. 塑膠一度被譽為二十世紀最偉大發明之一，它耐用、生物穩定、隔熱，廣泛應用於生活用品、衣物、包裝及個人護理產品。然而，塑膠的特性正是環境噩耗。今日，全球幾乎每一個角落，微生物、動植物以至人類體內皆有塑膠存在。固然，公眾對微塑膠環境毒理十分關注，其與氣候變化關係亦不可忽略。演講中，我講帶領聽眾，透過追蹤一塊塑料，深入介紹塑料與地球的命運，以及跨領域合作對我們及後代處理塑膠帶來挑戰的必要。