Every minute, the equivalent of one garbage truck’s worth of plastic is dumped into our ocean. Plastic pollution is a global problem. Approximately 7 billion of the 9.2 billion metric tonnes of plastic produced from 1950-2017 became plastic waste, ending up in landfills or being dumped. Plastic pollution can alter habitats and natural processes, reducing ecosystems’ ability to adapt to climate change, directly affecting millions of people’s livelihoods, food production capabilities and social well-being.

UNEP’s body of work demonstrates that the problem of plastic pollution doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The environmental, social, economic and health risks of plastics need to be assessed alongside other environmental stressors, like climate change, ecosystem degradation and resource use.

Which of the following most accurately states the main idea of the passage?

The correct answer is Plastic pollution.

Step-by-step Explanation:

1. Analyze the passage structure and focus:
The passage opens by highlighting the alarming rate of plastic waste dumped into oceans every minute and notes that "Plastic pollution is a global problem." It provides quantitative context regarding the billions of metric tonnes of plastic produced versus what became waste between 1950 and 2017. Furthermore, it details how plastic pollution alters habitats, affects ecosystems, human livelihoods, food production, and social well-being.

2. Identify the unifying theme:
The second paragraph reinforces this main topic by discussing UNEP’s work on "the problem of plastic pollution," emphasizing that its environmental, social, economic, and health risks must be evaluated alongside other environmental stressors.

3. Evaluate the options:
- Plastic pollution: This is the central topic of the entire passage. All details, statistics, and impacts mentioned serve to explain and emphasize the global issue of plastic pollution.
- Climate change: Climate change is mentioned only as a secondary stressor/context alongside which plastic pollution must be assessed.
- Plastic waste: Plastic waste is a specific supporting detail/statistic used to illustrate the broader issue of plastic pollution, rather than the overarching main idea.
- UNEP: UNEP is mentioned briefly in the second paragraph to attribute the research/body of work, not as the primary focus of the text.

Therefore, the main idea of the passage is most accurately captured by Plastic pollution.