Geologist warns plastic pollution beyond dangerous, an existential threat to humanity

Co-chairman of RineAsher Wildlife and Nature Conservation Foundation, Engr Ashley Emenike has warned that plastic pollution poses an existential threat to humanity.

The Geologist who is from Rivers State, made the disclosure in an appeal against the indiscriminate disposal of plastics.

He said plastics we once saw on the surface have found their way beneath, penetrating our farmlands, contaminating our aquifers, infiltrating our food systems, and embedding themselves deep into our soils — forming what scientists now call technofossils — permanent artificial layers that will remain long after we are gone.

He said for many years, we viewed plastic pollution as simply a nuisance — plastics clogging our gutters, littering our markets and floating on our rivers.

“We condemned it. We lamented it. But we carried on — as though the problem belonged to someone else. But today, I say to you: Plastic pollution has crossed a dangerous line. It has now become a national geological crisis.”

He added: “We are standing on contaminated ground. We are drinking from aquifers that are threatened. We are building homes, markets, roads, and cities upon unstable land, silently transformed by plastic infiltration. This, my fellow Nigerians, is what I call The Silent Stratigraphy.”

He said Nigeria has not been entirely silent on the crisis, recalling that the Ministry of Environment has made commendable efforts — adopting the National Plastic Waste Policy and the National Action Plan for Plastic Pollution.

He, however, said the frameworks have not yet addressed the deeper consequences — the geological, hydrogeological, and geotechnical dangers that threaten the safety of our land, the purity of our waters, the strength of our infrastructure, and the very health of future generations.

He advised: “I call for a bold next step: A National Plastic Pollution Action Plan 2.0.
A plan that: Maps and monitors plastic infiltration into our soils and aquifers.

“Integrates satellite technologies and geospatial science to track underground plastic migration.

“Mandates geological risk assessments before landfills, waste sites, or reclamation projects are approved.

“Regulates not only waste collection, but the restoration and healing of our contaminated lands.

“Mobilizes all of us — government, scientists, civil society, communities, and global partners — into unified, coordinated national action.”

According to Engr Emenike, the global crisis is not far away. It is here.

He said in 2025 alone, the world will consume over 516 million tonnes of plastics. By 2060, this will rise to over 1.2 billion tonnes annually.

He said 13 million tonnes of plastics infiltrate global soils each year, with microplastics being found in human arteries, lungs, brains — even in breast milk.

“This is why the world is mobilizing — as the United Nations works towards a binding Global Treaty on Plastic Pollution, Nigeria must not sit on the sidelines,” he said.

He said Nigeria is not helpless. “We have the science. We have the solutions. We only require the visionary leadership and political will to act.

“Through the work we have begun at RineAsher Wildlife and Nature Conservation Foundation, alongside my wife and with the strong partnership of the Geological Society of Nigeria, we have already demonstrated how community action — like our Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) campaign — can spark real grassroots change.”