SOUTH KINGSTOWN – U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and Rep. Jim Langevin on Friday announced a $1 million federal earmark to help researchers at the University of Rhode Island study the effects of pollution on land and sea.
The federal earmark was secured through the fiscal year 2022 appropriations law. The funding will be used to support research projects and initiatives at URI that focus on reducing plastic pollution locally, statewide and on a national and global scale. It will also support outreach and partnership with industries on new, more sustainable materials or plastic substitutes.
“In the grand scheme of things, microplastics are a relatively new pollutant and there is a lot we still don’t know, which is one of the reasons URI’s research is so important,” Reed said. “We do know plastics pollution is becoming more pervasive and poses a serious environmental threat and public health problem. This federal earmark will help expand their reach and URI’s findings and recommendations will help form future actions to improve water quality and reduce pollution.”
According to The Associated Press, half the plastic that has ever existed on Earth was made in the last 20 years. Only 9% of the plastic sold every year in the U.S. is recycled, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Up to 13 million metric tons of plastic ends up in the world’s oceans each year, the equivalent of a garbage truck full being dumped into the sea every minute, where it kills marine life that eats it or becomes entangled by it.
To help confront plastic pollution, URI launched the Plastics: Land to Sea initiative last October. It is a web-based research network to communicate, collaborate and accelerate ideas and strategies that inform society, public policy and reduce land-to-sea plastic pollutants. The “co-laboratory” now involves nearly 50 faculty members at URI, across most of its colleges, and in partnership with state agencies, nonprofit partners, non-governmental organizations and universities internationally.
“Unchecked plastics pollution is a threat to our health, our environment, and our economy, which is why I am so proud that URI has decided to step up to the plate and tackle this challenge head on,” Langevin said. “It’s an honor to partner with URI on reducing plastics pollution by delivering this $1 million federal investment to support URI’s cutting-edge plastics research program.”
