What's happening?

The pieces of plastic are so small you can hardly see them. But they have been found at the bottom of the ocean, the top of mountains and even in our blood.

Now scientists have a new idea about microplasticsMicroplastics are fragments of degraded plastic that are less than five millimetres in length. They are blown into the atmosphere and transported by ocean currents. . New research suggests that these very small pieces of plastic may even be changing the weather. 

Microplastics are formed when bigger pieces of plastic wear down and break apart.

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Scientists from Shandong UniversityWhen people leave school, they can go to university to study more and get a degree. in ChinaA country in East Asia, home to 1.4 billion people. have found microplastics in cloud water samples at the top of a mountain in eastern China.

Clouds play a big role in the Earth's climateThe weather over a long period of time. . They have an affect on rainfall and how hot it is. Microplastics, scientists say, could change how clouds form. The scientists say they still need to do more studies to find out exactly how plastic could change the weather.

Many are now asking what we can do about microplastic pollutionWhen harmful or dangerous things are put into the environment. . Some say we could look at new ideas, like plastic eating bacteriaA large group of single-cell microorganisms. Some cause disease in animals and humans. . But the first step, most say, is to stop using so much plastic.

Yes! People know more than ever before about why it is bad to use so much plastic. We can start to cut down how much we use.

No! Plastic is a huge part of our lives. It is in almost everything. It will take a long time to change how we use it. Plus, there are many people who do not really want to.