Climate Facts: Every minute, the equivalent of a garbage truck of plastic is dumped into the ocean

The complexities of climate change and its associated jargon can make it difficult to digest. TheCable’s climate quick facts will help to demystify these climate concepts through easy-to-understand and straight-to-the-point explanations.

Here are some to keep at the tip of your fingers:

• According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the equivalent of a garbage truck of plastic is dumped into the ocean every minute, threatening biodiversity and damaging marine ecosystems.

• As heatwaves blanket some parts of the world, several Japanese cities that broke heat records dating as far back as 1875 have issued heat alerts, according to the Japanese Meteorological Agency.

• UNEP’s From Pollution to Solution report shows that some 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced annually.

• Greenhouse gas emissions associated with plastics are expected to reach 6.5 gigatons by 2050, the United Nations says.

• A global increase of extreme fires even in areas previously unaffected is anticipated due to climate change and land-use change, a new report, Spreading like Wildfire: The Rising Threat of Extraordinary Landscape Fires, by UNEP and GRID-Arendal, finds.