plastic and climate change

Just 16% of plastics are recycled - the rest goes to landfill for incineration, or is just dumped. The process of extracting and transporting those fuels, then manufacturing plastic creates billions of tonnes of greenhouse gases. We used to rely on countries like China, Myanmar and Cambodia to handle our waste plastic. In a study published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change, they found that limiting carbon emissions from the plastic industry to 2015 levels requires a colossal societal undertaking . ), Concentration of oil and gas well locations. Secondly, it creates stranded assets because a lot of especially national companies are now heavily investing into new petrochemical facilities, because they believe plastic demand will continue rising. It is also very durable. Environmental advocates maintain that plastics are largely single-use: A 2020 Greenpeace USA survey found that plastics with resin codes #3-7 are virtually impossible to recycle, because of limited. Carbon from the fossil fuel feedstock is locked into plastic products and emitted when plastic is incinerated or decomposes. Engagement Manager Partnerships & Innovation, WWF-Australia. The thing is, these conversations about plastics and fossil fuels are happening completely separate from each other. But, according to scientists from UC Santa Barbara, even recycling plastic produces greenhouse gas emissions, as fossil fuels are combusted to run the machines that shred plastic waste and heat it up to make other products. Then, armed with a list of where you use single-use plastic the most, you can start to make replacements. Extreme weather, sea level rise and flooding increase risks to these facilities, making accidents and unpermitted pollution releases more likely and increasing the amount of plastics and chemical pollution entering our communities, waterways and ocean. Globally, in this year alone, researchers estimate that the production and incineration of plastic will pump more than 850 million tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The air we breathe now contains plastic micro particles, there's plastic in Arctic snow , plastic in soils and . of discarded plastic also enters our oceans each year, and plastic pollution at sea is on course to double by 2030. Thanks to Mum, I'm now a passionate advocate for recycling. However, these bans are small dams against a tsunami of new plastic. It's time to put single-use plastic under wraps and begin re-imaging a future without it. The future of the planet is in our hands. For a sense of the impact of the broader plastic waste stream, the emissions from plastic incineration alone in the US in 2015 were 5.9 million metric tons of CO2e, says CIEL. Theyre not going anywhere, said Tedesco, You can stop producing plastics now and you can stop emitting CO2 now, but the effect of whats left in the atmosphere or whats around in terms of microplastics will still be huge. Learn More About Estate Planning. Plastic produce stickers are just a fraction of Canada's plastic pollution. Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical component in the plastic of some water bottles and the lining of tin cans, has been found in the cord blood of nine out of 10 infants and in the urine of 95 percent of adult Americans tested. The life cycle of plastic begins underground, where oil and gas are extracted from deep below the surface of the planet. This Orchestra Built Their Own Recycled Instruments From Waste, When it comes to decarbonising plastics, 2050 is closer than it seems, Lucrce Foufopoulos and Prof. Martin R. Stuchtey. Waste management has a data problem. In the US alone there are 2.5 million miles of such pipes. These fossil fuels are then refined in facilities, using extreme temperatures and significant amount of water and energy, where they are transformed into pellets that are eventually melted and molded into things like water bottles, packaging, garbage bags and clothes. What is Single-Use Plastic? Growing up in Singapore, I didn't question the role of plastic. Recycled plastic used to be cheaper than new plastic, but because of the boom in petrochemical production in the U.S., and because of the demand for recycled plastic from sustainable companies, virgin plastic is becoming cheaper than recycled. The plastics proposal reflects an oil industry contemplating its inevitable decline as the world fights climate change. Plastic does not biodegrade like natural materials, but it does decompose. It directly chokes and smothers a host of marine animals and habitats and can take hundreds of years to break down. And thirdlythis I found really amazingthe impact of a successful campaign globally against the use of single-use plastics has a larger dent in oil demand than the dent caused by electric cars. In other words, effective regulations on plastic could reduce oil demand by at least as much as the adoption of electric cars 20 years from now. Plastic pollution in oceans and other bodies of water continues to grow sharply and could more than double by 2030, according to an assessment released on Thursday by the UN Environment Programme ( UNEP ). And 73% believe there is a direct link between how much plastic packaging people use and climate change. Because the U.S. has extracted so much ethane with its natural gas, over $200 billion have been invested into 333 new chemical and plastics projects, as of the end of 2019. Erin X. Wong, Edited by: 1. Ethane cracking is energy intensive because of the high heat needed, and produces significant emissions, as do the chemical refining processes that make other plastics. A Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) report, Plastic & Climate, found that as of the end of 2015, 8,300 million metric tons of virgin plastic had been produced globally, two-thirds of which remains in the environment. It brings peak oil demand forward by about five years into the mid- to late 2020s, said Ruehl. Single-use plastics are becoming increasingly prevalent across the world. Across every stage of the life cyclethey emit planet-warming pollution. Remember that when youre making plastic, theres the greenhouse gas emissions, but these facilities also emit massive amounts of air toxins and particulates, Enck added. It is this durability that . .chakra .wef-10kdnp0{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;}What is the World Economic Forum doing about plastic pollution? Recycling is the mop. Thats the same amount as the average emissions released by 116 coal-fired power plants in 2020, according to the reports authors. .chakra .wef-facbof{display:inline;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-facbof{display:block;}}You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. A new report shows that U.S. plastics will emit more greenhouse gas pollution than coal by 2030. if the industry follows through on its plans. Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world. Photo: Emilian Robert Vicol. The ground-breaking new study, published in the journal Plos One, looked at the amount of emissions produced by plastic when exposed to sunlight over a 212-day period. The number system on the bottom of plastic items are not a guarantee they will be recycled. But plant-based plastics is still an inchoate industry and, despite the name, many of them are plant materials like sugar or corn that are mixed with as much as 70% fossil fuels, so they pose pollution problems just like regular plastics. Amanda Kolson Hurley, Yue Qiu and Jeremy Diamond, US value chain graphic photographers from left: Significant changes in ocean current patterns are also occurring. That year, the U.S. sent 68,000 shipping containers of recycled plastic to countries such as Bangladesh, Laos, Cambodia, Philippines, Turkey, Ethiopia and Senegal countries that are not able to handle most of their own plastic waste. The U.S. also produces more plastic packaging waste per capita than any other country. That something else would use energy and produce carbon emissions. Plastic production is going to continue its explosive growth and thats by design. Our seven-part guide helps you minimize your personal role in the climate crisis and reduce your eco-anxiety. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. The over-abundance of natural gas has resulted in the lowest gas prices since 2016. Only about 9% of plastic worldwide is recycled. Glass and paper, for example, are very energy-intensive. By Holly Kaufman. Many activists say the only real solution is to drastically cut the amount of plastic produced. - Earth-policy.org, "Bottled Water: Pouring Resources Down the Drain". They include carbon capture, electric furnaces and, most expensive, an option to use green methanol made from hydrogen and captured CO2 in a specialized reactor to make the aromatic chemicals needed for PET. Together, we create evidence-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it. After its used, plastic is incinerated, recycled or ends up in a landfill. It's critical if we are to curb greenhouse gas emissions that are exacerbating climate change, and to protect our marine environments. WWF-Australia and BCGDV have launched a revolutionary new online platform called OpenSC. Plastic production contributes to climate change. Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginias share of U.S. natural gas production has gone from two percent in 2008 to 27 percent in 2017. These organisms are essential for absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere and are a big reason why the ocean has effectively moderated Earths climate throughout history. The large majority of plastics are derived from natural gas. The atmosphere is positively teeming with plastic particles yet scientists can't detect them all. Every year, almost 10 million metric tons of plastic wind up in the ocean, where it is consumed by marine animals, and plastic waste is found on beaches in even the most remote places on Earth. US value chain graphic photographers from left: Scott Varley/Digital First Media/Torrance Daily Breeze/Getty Images, Thailand Is Tired of Recycling Your Trash, Big Plastics Faltering Global Cleanup Effort, Amazon Packages Burn in India, Final Stop in Broken Recycling System, has met less than 1% of its recycling target. Moving towards the end of plastic pollution A Global Deal to Beat Plastic Pollution What to expect as negotiations to end plastic pollution kick off This causes changes in water temperature, ocean acidification and deoxygenation, leading to changes in oceanic circulation and chemistry, rising sea levels, extreme weather, and changes in . The planet is already 1.2C warmer than it was before industrialization.. Zero-Carbon for Shipping in North America, How Green Hydrogen Can Keep the Ocean Blue, The Ocean Carbon Dioxide Removal Decision-Making Landscape, How Ocean-Based Solutions Contribute to Net Zero: Key Announcements, How Oceans Can Help Us Tackle Climate Change, Ocean-Based Climate Solutions in Nationally Determined Contributions, Opportunities for Ocean-Climate Action in the American Jobs Plan, Readyor not? If plastic production stays on its current trajectory, by 2030, greenhouse gas emissions from plastic could reach 1.34 billion tons per year, equivalent to the emissions produced by 300 new 500MW coal-fired power plants. The entire life cycle of bottled water uses fossil fuels, contributes to global warming, and causes pollution. Even if, ounce for ounce, some kinds of plastic have a higher carbon footprint. Plastic is a very useful material. But we cant have a robust conversation about fighting climate change and ending our reliance on fossil fuels without talking about the impact of plastics. Cars are going electric, straws have gotten organic and . Some 11 billion pounds of plastic particles are blanketing the surface alone. Recycling alone will not solve this massive problem, Enck said, but we should still do it bearing in mind what can and cannot be recycled. Unless we reduce plastics, well not only produce more emissions, but well also damage the natural systems that are helping to slow climate changea combination that will spell disaster for global efforts to limit climate change to livable levels that will keep our ocean and communities healthy. The toxins released by plastic pollutants breaking down and releasing into the air are causing climate change rates to move up and worsen as a fast pace. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. When I think about my personal climate impact, I usually think about flights, or my car. Plastic is a major contributor to climate change. Buildings are reflected in the waters of a garbage filled river in Manila on January 23, 2016. Reducing plastic pollution will help communities stay healthy and resilient in the face of worsening climate change impacts. In fact, a 2019 studyby researchers from Macquairie University in Australia studied how substances leached from plastic affected Prochlorococcus, a tiny type of phytoplankton considered a key player in the photosynthetic process that fixes carbon. In the effort to tame global warming, nations are racing to decarbonize buildings and electricity generation and agriculture. Discovery Company. So how is plastic implicated in climate change? The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum. Now the amount has risen to more than 400 million metric tons. We have a lot of momentum to build on: investors managing more than half of the worlds assets committed to the Paris Climate Agreement goals. And the growing global population, improving economic conditions and technological progress will create even more demand for plastics in the future, according to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Image:REUTERS/Hemanshi Kamani. Only things marked 1 and 2 and on rare occasion, 5 are sure bets, depending on what your municipality can handle. Ending the production and use of single-use, disposable plastic; Stopping development of new oil, gas, and petrochemical infrastructure; Requiring extended producer responsibility; Adopting and enforcing ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors, including plastic production. But as other industries emit less carbon pollution, plastic is going in the opposite direction. Plastics are poised to dominate the 21st century as one of the yet-unchecked drivers of climate change. That's according to a global model of the. Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Heres how Indonesia plans to take on its plastic pollution challenge, As Canada bans bags and more, this is whats happening with single-use plastics around the world, New law in France will save 1 billion pieces of single-use plastic annually. Plastic rubbish will outweigh fish in the oceans by 2050 unless the world takes drastic action to . Finally, plastics may be harming the climate in one other way. Its Easy To Do. The way that plastic contributes to climate change issues is because of the way plastic is made. A Plastic Bags 2,000-Mile Journey West Africa Is Drowning in Plastic TerraCycles Recycling Dream Thailand Is Tired of Recycling Your Trash Big Plastics Faltering Global Cleanup Effort Amazon Packages Burn in India, Final Stop in Broken Recycling System. 35% of all microplastics come from the laundering of synthetic textiles like polyester. Its also the same annual emissions as around 50 million cars, according to the EPA. Industry is pushing recycling. The problem with the "individual choices" emphasis on tackling climate change and plastic pollution is that it neglects the fact that our political system is deeply interwoven with fossil fuel companies and their interests. New petrochemical plants are also planned near the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana and the Lower Mississippi River, an area already called Cancer Alley because of the toxic emissions from its existing petrochemical plants. They are then compressed and frozen so they may be sorted by weight. Exposure to the leachate compromised its in vitro growth and photosynthetic capacity and resulted in changes in its genome. But theres an invisible and just as damaging toll, too. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Scientists are currently trying to determine if microplastics in the ocean interfere with phytoplanktons ability to sequester carbon. A seal trapped in plastic pollution. The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) estimates that if trends continue, plastics will account for 20 percent of oil consumption by 2050. We can do our part to minimize our own plastic use, but the world needs big solutions for this big problem. Almost all plastic is derived from materials (like ethylene and propylene) made from fossil fuels (mostly oil and gas). For example, 4% of the world's annual petroleum production is diverted to making plastic, and another 4% gets burned in the refining process. We need individual actions and collective ones, too. And plastics share is set to increase in coming years. | IEEFA Energy Finance, Plastics and climate changeBreaking carbon lock-ins through three mitigation pathways | One Earth, Energy Transitions Commission: How to reach Net-Zero CO, Watch: UNDP and We Dont Have Time-Dino Talks episode V: Fossil Fuel Subsidies & Plastic Management, Ocean Conservancy Expert Commentary: Put an End to Fossil Fuel Subsidies, Ocean Conservancy Expert Commentary: A Global Instrument to End Plastic Pollution, Plastics Industry Case Study: Reliable Scope 3 Emissions Disclosures are Key to Addressing Climate-Related Financial Risks: A Plastics Industry Case Study, Ocean Conservancy testimony before the Senate Climate Change Task Force: Community Risks are Climate Risks, Plastic & Health: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet | CEIL, Consider It: Inside one communitys battle against environmental racism, Ocean Conservancy Expert Commentary: Combating Plastic Pollution Crisis in California, PLASTICS POLICY PLAYBOOK Strategies for a Plastic-Free Ocean | Ocean Conservancy & Trash Free Seas Alliance, Breaking the Plastics Wave: A Comprehensive Assessment of Pathways Towards Stopping Ocean Plastic Pollution | The Pew Charitable Trusts & SYSTEMIQ, The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the future of plastics | Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Ocean Conservancy, International Coastal Cleanup, Trash Free Seas, Trash Free Seas Alliance, Global Ghost Gear Initiative, Urban Ocean and Clean Swell are registered trademarks of Ocean Conservancy. To make plastic, fossil fuel feedstocks such as ethane are sent to plants known as steam crackers. Banning unnecessary single-use plastic products such as plastic bags, utensils, stirrers, polystyrene, shipping envelopes, etc. been found in the deepest place on Earth - in the Mariana Trench, nearly 11 kilometres below sea level.