“Plastic is responsible for 3.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions”.The link between plastic pollution and carbon emissions is overlooked most of the time. Tackling these challenges requires knowledge about their relationship.
Considering plastic beverages, take-out containers, cosmetics and, so much more are synonymous with fossil fuels. Today, 99% of plastics in use are made out of either natural gas or crude oil. Plastic is responsible for 3.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Which is almost double the emissions of the aviation sector.
If the production and consumption of plastics continue to increase, the plastic industry will use about 20% of global oil by 2050.
Shockingly, only 9% of the 8.3 billion metric tonnes of plastic ever created has been recycled. The rest gets incinerated or dumped into landfills creating negative environmental impacts like microplastics.
The impact of COVID Pandemic on plastic production
In a study done in India, open burning of plastic waste was a “major contributor for climate change”. The CIEL study reached a similar conclusion, greenhouse gas emissions from plastic threaten our ability to keep global temperature rise below 1.5°C – a Paris Agreement target. The COVID pandemic is adding fuel to the fire. The global plastic market boomed alongside COVID-19. Single-use plastic masks and gloves have become an everyday essential for doctors and civilians. Plastic has proven itself a necessity by helping to restrict the spread of the pandemic. It is to be seen if this will jeopardize the policy initiatives in the US, India, and elsewhere to curb plastic use and move towards circular models that reduce emissions while contributing to human health and ecosystems regeneration. Momentum, however, is growing for a United Nations Plastics Treaty.