I believe that this claim is true. The earliest source that I could find was from National Geographic in April 2019. There are numerous other sources, including CNN, Science Direct, Nature Journal, and Wired. Between the consistency of the narratives in these articles, the reputability of the various magazines, and the multi-year chronology of the narrative, this claim appears to be true, and well documented. The Independent is a legitimate magazine, and has a reputation as a fairly credible source. Furthermore, the author, Vishwam Sankaran, has a profile on Linked In that legitimizes their identity as a journalist. Sankaran has more than 500 connections, and a fully documented history of their professional experience as a science journalist. The topic does seem to be well documented prior to this article, but this article focuses on a more recent study which was also documented by the media company Al Jazeera. The only quote that seems questionable is the scientists’ paraphrased belief that they are the first to discover airborne microplastics in the clouds, as the topic appears to have been covered years prior. The writing of the article itself also evokes credibility, as it is not noticeably opinionated, rather documenting the scientific discovery.
