The carbon-intensive production of plastics is on track to emit more greenhouse gas than coal-fired power plants within a decade. Undermining global efforts to combat climate change, as per the report.
Beyond Plastics report
According to the Bennington College and Beyond Plastics report. The plastic industry emits at least 232 million tonnes of greenhouse gases per year. From drilling for oil and gas to fuel its facilities to incineration of plastic waste. That equates to 116 coal-fired power plants.
“The scale of the plastics industry’s greenhouse gas emissions is staggering. But it’s equally concerning that few people in government or business are even talking about it,” said Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics. A former EPA regional administrator.
After that, the report discovered that petrochemical facilities. They are concentrated in just 18 predominantly low-income and minority communities, where 90 percent of the pollution occurs.
According to Enck, with at least a dozen more plastic production plants under construction and 15 more planned. The resulting emissions would cancel out any gains made by shifting away from coal power and toward more renewable energy.
Undercounted emissions and air pollution
Authorities most likely undercounted emissions and air pollution associated with various stages of plastic production and plastic waste export, according to the report. This is because according to the report author Jim Vallette of the research group Material Research. US regulations do not require the plastic industry to report them, and no federal agency tracks them.
O’Connor said the report “cherry-picks data” and pointed to other studies that found that plastic results in lower carbon emissions due to its lighter weight and durability compared to alternatives such as glass and paper.
According to Enck, the report is based on data from federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Commerce Department, as well as plastic industry reporting. She acknowledged that plastic is lightweight and durable, but added that the industry’s calculations ignore other factors that contribute to emissions.