[getmeinrn]

Random thought, but if we extrapolate the path we're on in terms of biodegradability and sustainability, it's not ridiculous to assume that a very advanced version of us would have developed the technology and legislation to ensure that all products biodegrade safely within X years.

[blueflow]

This doesn't undo all the stuff that already is in the ground and rivers everywhere.

[FredPret]

After a long time hanging around, some organism might evolve that eats it though

[TechBro8615]

Or a second industrial civilization would use it to power their cars...

[blueflow]

Which happened for all fossils already and they are still there.

[FredPret]

Fair point, although not all of them, and not all of those that do remain. If styrofoam ever starts rotting, maybe the styro-philes will eat 100% of each cup and poop out only completely normal organic matter. Nobody will ever find it!

[hutzlibu]

Can we develope such a microorganism please?

[InvaderFizz]

Worms were discovered that eat styrofoam. There was a lot about it going on the news last summer[0].

0: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/superworms-eat-an...

[ekianjo]

Still all there compared to what quantity exactly? Ever hard of the gazillions of fossil fuels?

[blueflow]

They still are there to detect them. The question was whether our fossil records would be detectable.

[c22]

Perhaps there could follow a movement to undo all prior impacts out of an ethical motivation.

[mc32]

And retroactively apply that technology to all the previous garbage they produced and their predecessors produced too?

Sounds like they invented the magic wand.