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 represents the structure of the passage?

The correct option is Cause-effect.

Step-by-step Explanation:

1. Understanding the Text Structure:
Text structure refers to how information within a written text is organized. Common text structures include Cause-effect, Definition, Sequence, and Time order.

2. Analyzing the Given Passage:
• Cause (Action/Problem): The passage describes the overwhelming amount of plastic dumped into oceans and landfills (7 billion metric tonnes out of 9.2 billion produced).

• Effect (Consequence): It highlights the direct consequences of this plastic pollution—altering habitats and natural processes, reducing ecosystems' ability to adapt to climate change, and affecting people's livelihoods, food production capabilities, and social well-being.

• Furthermore, the second paragraph explicitly links the environmental, social, economic, and health risks (effects) of plastics alongside other environmental stressors.

3. Conclusion:
Since the passage primarily focuses on the reasons behind plastic pollution and the resulting impacts/consequences on the environment and human life, the organizational pattern used is Cause-effect.