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Microplastics are making it harder for oceans to absorb greenhouse gases, study warns

Researchers say tackling plastic pollution is now part of fight against global warming

Stuti Mishra, Independent UK Wednesday 07 January 2026

Microplastics are reducing the capacity of oceans to absorb carbon dioxide, weakening one of the planet’s most critical natural defences against the climate crisis, a new study warns.

Researchers found the spread of microplastics through marine ecosystems was interfering with the processes that allowed oceans to store carbon and regulate temperature.

Oceans are the planet’s largest carbon sink and “microplastics are undermining this natural shield against climate change”, Ihsanullah Obaidullah from the University of Sharjah, one of the study’s authors, said. “Tackling plastic pollution is now part of the fight against global warming.”

Microplastics, particles smaller than five millimetres across, have made their way into every nook of the planet, from deep ocean waters and Arctic ice to soil, air and even human bodies. While they are widely recognised as a major pollution problem, their role in the climate crisis has received much less attention, according to researchers.

“Climate disruption and plastic pollution are two major environmental challenges that intersect in complex ways,” they explained. “Microplastics influence biogeochemical processes, disrupt oceanic carbon pumps and contribute directly to greenhouse gas emissions.”

Oceans absorb about a quarter of the carbon dioxide released by human activity every year, slowing the pace of global warming. A major part of that process is the “biological carbon pump”, in which sea phytoplankton absorb carbon through photosynthesis and transfer it to deeper ocean layers when they die or are eaten.

The study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials warns that microplastics interfere with this system by reducing phytoplankton photosynthesis and impairing the metabolism of zooplankton, both of which play a central role in carbon cycling.

“In marine ecosystems, MPs alter the natural carbon sequestration by affecting phytoplankton and zooplankton, which are key agents of carbon cycling,” it said.

Researchers also highlight the role of the “plastisphere”, the communities of microbes which colonise plastic particles in the ocean. These microbes can influence carbon and nitrogen cycles and contribute to greenhouse gas production.

Dr Obaidullah warned that the effects could intensify over time. “Microplastics disrupt marine life, weaken the biological carbon pump, and even release greenhouse gases as they degrade,” he said……………………………………. https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/microplastics-ocean-greenhouse-gases-b2895826.html

January 9, 2026 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | climate change, oceans