Government provides funding to back further research into environmental threats posed by plastics
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On May 31, 2021, the government announced that it is providing close to $7 million to support seven science-based research projects. These projects aim to close gaps in our knowledge and improve understanding of the threats posed by plastic pollution and to help us move toward a cleaner and healthier world.
Among the selected projects are those being carried out by the University of British Columbia, which aims to advance technologies to quantify and characterize microplastics in aquatic environments; the National Institute of Scientific Research, which will assess the potential effects of nanoplastics on human health; and the University of Guelph, which will assess potential risks that microplastics pose to freshwater and soil ecosystems.
This funding is provided through the Plastics Science for a Cleaner Future Initiative, supported by Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. It is in alignment with Canada’s Plastics Science Agenda and the Science Assessment of Plastic Pollution. This is an important piece of Canada’s comprehensive Zero Plastic Waste agenda.
