Toward a Breakaway from Plastic Pollution: Social innovations created by citizen science

Abstract

Plastic pollution is a complex environmental problem with far-reaching consequences for ecosystems and society. The humanities and social sciences can play a vital role in addressing the problem of plastic pollution. These fields of study can help us to understand the causes of plastic pollution, the social and economic costs of the problem, and the potential solutions. They can also help us to develop new approaches to raising awareness about plastic pollution, changing human behavior, and creating new social structures that can help to reduce plastic waste. Citizen science is a collaborative effort between scientists and the public to collect data and solve environmental problems. Citizen science projects can help to raise awareness about plastic pollution, collect data on the distribution and abundance of plastic pollution, and develop new solutions to the problem.