Global waste crisis: AI reveals worst plastic polluters
Scientists from the British University of Leeds took on quite a challenge. They investigated how waste management processes look in 50,000 towns and cities around the world. They used artificial intelligence for their research, which allowed them to identify the countries responsible for generating the most pollution.
7:32 AM EDT, September 8, 2024
The researchers vividly presented the study results obtained through artificial intelligence algorithms. By utilizing AI, they examined over 50,000 towns and cities to determine how waste management processes look in each location.
Alarming data. Millions of tons of waste every year
Findings indicate that approximately 57 million tons of waste and pollution from plastic are produced on Earth each year. Arranged in a straight line, all this waste would circle the Earth 1,500 times, according to Science Blog.
"This is an urgent and global human health issue." The ongoing crisis, meaning people whose waste is not collected have no choice but to discard or burn it, alerts Dr. Costas Velis, who participated in the research.
Scientists explain that one of their most concerning findings is that nearly 70 percent of the world's plastic pollution comes from uncollected trash. According to researchers, nearly 1.2 billion people, or approximately 15 percent of the world's population, do not have access to basic waste collection services.
Health implications
Difficulty in waste collection has tragic consequences for the environment, as it usually leads to the burning of pollutants. Studies also suggest that focusing on combating burning and uncollected waste can significantly improve the quality of life for billions of people.
This is because the aforementioned burning of waste poses serious health risks. Experts mainly point to neurological and reproductive disorders. All of these can originate from uncontrolled burning of plastic waste.
Shameful ranking. Who pollutes the planet?
So who is most responsible for polluting the planet, based on what scientists have determined through AI? The biggest global plastic pollution culprit is India. Following India in this ignoble category are Nigeria (in second place) and Indonesia (third place). Science Blog notes that this is a change from previous models, which identified China as the main source of pollution.
