as it has not been burned or recycled is around 4.9 billion tons.

尚未燃燒或回收的數量約 49 億噸。

This could all have been dumped into a 17 meter deep landfill, the size of Manhattan.

這些全部能夠倒滿一個 17 公尺深的垃圾掩埋場，大小相當於曼哈頓的面積。

While much of it has indeed ended up in landfill around the world, far too much of it has found it's way into the natural environment.

雖然大部分的垃圾最後確實倒進世界各地的垃圾掩埋場，但現在發現有太多垃圾已經流入自然環境。

With around 10 million tons a year ending up in the ocean.

每年約有 1000 萬噸的垃圾最後流進海洋。

Over half of all plastic is used just once and then thrown away.

超過一半的塑膠垃圾只用過一次後就扔掉。

Taking hundreds of years to decompose.

這些垃圾需要用幾百年的時間來分解。

Apart from the perception that plastic waste is ugly and unnatural,

對塑膠垃圾的看法，除了醜陋和不自然外，

it has also been known to harm marine animals.

眾所周知的是，會傷害到海洋生物。

And exposed to salt water and sunlight it can fragment into micro plastics,

而且垃圾暴露在鹽水和陽光下會分裂成微塑膠，

which some people fear can poison sea life and humans who subsequently consume it.

有些人擔心這會毒害到海洋生物，以及隨後吃下那些生物的人類。

But is it as big an environmental problem as the plastic panic across the rich worlds suggests.

但這塑膠恐慌是否如同先進國家所指出的一樣，是個嚴重的環境議題？

Plastics account for just 10% of the 1.3 billion tons of waste produced globally every year.

全球每年製造出 13 億噸的垃圾，而塑膠部分僅佔 10%。

Air pollution is blamed for seven million deaths per year world wide.

全球每年有 700 萬人因空氣污染而死。

Ocean acidification, the results of man made carbon dioxide emissions, is disastrous for coral reefs and many other forms of sea life.

海洋酸化是人為二氧化碳排放的結果，對珊瑚礁和許多其他類型的海洋生物來說是場災難。

In any case, efforts are being made to improve the situation or at least lessen the impact of plastic.

無論如何，必定要改善這樣的情況，或者至少減輕塑膠所帶來的衝擊。

In 2008 Rwanda introduced strict laws banning plastic bags and many countries have since followed with similar initiatives.

在 2008 年，盧安達在法律上嚴格禁止使用塑膠袋，許多國家隨後也採取相似的措施。

In December 2017, 193 countries committed to a UN plan to stop plastic waste entering the ocean.

在 2017 年 12 月，有 193 個國家向聯合國承諾不讓塑膠垃圾流入海洋。

To eliminate plastic waste reaching the natural environment, it must first be collected.

為了解決塑膠垃圾進入到自然環境的問題，首先必須先收集垃圾。

In developed countries, virtually all of it tis.

在已開發國家中，這些幾乎都是塑膠。

But five countries in Asia are dumping more plastic into the oceans than the rest of the world combined.

但亞洲的五個國家將垃圾倒進海洋的量，卻遠高於世界其他國家加起來的量。

If the world wants to tackle plastic pollution,

如果這世界想要解決塑膠污染的問題，

then it should first concentrate it's efforts on the biggest culprits in Southeast Asia.

那得先把力氣集中在最大的罪魁禍首── 東南亞。

Until it does all other efforts will be a drop in the ocean.

在此之前，其他所有的努力將會是杯水車薪。