How plastic is a threat to our environment and climate?
In fact, the plastic industry accounts for about 6 percent of global oil consumption and is expected to reach 20 percent by 2050. As a result, due to the energy-intensive processes required to extract and distill oil, the production of plastics generates enormous amounts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Some creatures get entangled in the plastic debris, while others like seabirds, turtles, fish, oysters and mussels ingest the plastics, which end up clogging their digestive systems and causing death. Fish and birds mistake smaller plastic particles for food and feed on them in enormous quantities.
So how is plastic implicated in climate change? Almost all plastic is derived from materials (like ethylene and propylene) made from fossil fuels (mostly oil and gas). The process of extracting and transporting those fuels, then manufacturing plastic creates billions of tonnes of greenhouse gases.
The major impact of plastic bags on the environment is that it takes many years to for them to decompose. In addition, toxic substances are released into the soil when plastic bags perish under sunlight and, if plastic bags are burned, they release a toxic substance into the air causing ambient air pollution.
As plastic does not dissolve, it remains in the water thereby hampering its purity. This means we won't be left with clean water in the coming years. Furthermore, plastic pollutes our land as well. When humans dump Plastic waste into landfills, the soil gets damaged.
Plastic's Contribution to Climate Change. Plastics are threatening the ability of the global community to keep global temperature rise below 1.5°C, as greenhouse gases (GHG) are emitted throughout the plastic life cycle. Indeed, extraction, refining and manufacture of plastics are all carbon intensive activities.
- Kills Ocean Life. By now you've probably heard about the mass amounts of plastic polluting oceans and other waterways. ...
- Kills Terrestrial Wildlife. Plastic also harms the environment by killing land animals. ...
- Takes Up Space. ...
- Produces Chemical Pollution. ...
- Creates Microplastics.
Over decades or even centuries, much of that littered and landfilled plastic breaks down into tiny particles known as microplastics, which contaminate our food, the air, and water. They also accumulate in our bodies, potentially increasing our risk of chronic inflammation and other ills.
Use of plastic products leads to ingestion and/or inhalation of large amounts of both microplastic particles and hundreds of toxic substances with known or suspected carcinogenic, developmental, or endocrine-disrupting impacts.
Plastic Pollution Around the World
Out of the 8.3 billion tons of plastics produced since the 1950s, 79% ended in landfills or leaked into the environment. From the Mariana trench to Mt. Everest, there is virtually no place on Earth which is left untouched by plastic pollution.
Why is plastic pollution bad for climate change?
The degradation and breakdown of plastic represent a previously unrecognized source of greenhouse gases that are expected to increase, especially as more plastic is produced and accumulates in the environment.
Many chemicals found in plastics are endocrine disruptors, which can cause an imbalance in hormones, reproductive issues, and even cancer. Also, microplastics can leach harmful chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates. Both of these types of chemicals are known to interfere with hormones.
Plastics Save Energy and Water and Make Less Pollution than Alternatives. The reason plastic products—be it bags, food packaging, or home siding—are often the most affordable option is because they often require far fewer resources to make than paper, metal, stone, or glass alternatives.
Sea turtles mistakenly eat plastic bags that they confuse with jellyfish. Sea birds, whales, dolphins, and other marine animals often turn up dead with stomachs full of plastic or get caught in abandoned plastic fishing nets. Even land animals are now forced to live among plastic pollution.
Plastic products contain chemical additives. A number of these chemicals have been associated with serious health problems such as hormone-related cancers, infertility and neurodevelopment disorders like ADHD and autism.
In 2019, the CIEL estimated that production and incineration of plastic would add 850 million metric tons of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere – equivalent to 189 coal-fired power plants. By 2050 this could rise to 2.8 gigatons of carbon dioxide per year – or 615 coal plants' worth.
These include: Physical impact on marine life: entanglement, ingestion, starvation. Chemical impact: the buildup of persistent organic pollutants like PCBs and DDT. Transport of invasive species and pollutants from polluted rivers to remote areas in the ocean.
Plastic pollution can alter habitats and natural processes, reducing ecosystems' ability to adapt to climate change, directly affecting millions of people's livelihoods, food production capabilities and social well-being.
Harmful Effects of Plastics
Plastics do not undergo degradation, thus, stay in the soil for many years, which affects soil fertility and degrades the soil quality. When plastic artefacts enter the drainage and sewerage system, they block the pipes and the drains causing waterlogging.
- Kills Animals.
- Litters the landscape.
- Non-Biodegradable.
- Plastic bags block drains.
- Plastic releases toxic when burned.
- Plastic pollutes soil.
- Plastic pollutes ocean.
- Petroleum is required to produce plastic bags.
Does plastic have a positive or negative impact on the environment?
It's no secret that plastic is bad for the environment. It takes hundreds of years to decompose, and in the meantime, it pollutes our oceans and landfills. But you might not know just how many different ways plastic can negatively impact the environment - from the manufacturing process to how we dispose of it.
Most plastics are made from oil and gas — fossil fuels that contribute to climate change. About 4% to 8% of the world's oil production is for plastics, and most plastics are thrown away after a single use. By reducing your plastic use, you can also reduce your carbon footprint.
Animals can become trapped and injured by plastic and it disrupts habitats, making it hard for some species to live and breed naturally, leading to depletions in populations. Plastic affects all life, from microscopic animals right up the food chain to large predators and even humans.
- Plastic was invented in 1907. ...
- Plastic is made from fossil fuels. ...
- Scientists are trying to invent plastic made from natural materials. ...
- Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down. ...
- More than 40 percent of plastic is used just once before it is thrown away.
Plastic's climate change impacts
It accounts for 4.5% of the annual greenhouse gas emissions and could consume 10% to 13% of our remaining carbon dioxide budget by 2050. This is in part because single-use plastics are heavily produced in countries dependent on coal.
- Only 9% of all plastic produced is recycled.
- A whopping 2 million plastic bags are used every minute worldwide.
- Single-use plastics are illegal in some parts of the world.
- Every minute of every day a truckload of plastic is dumped into the ocean.
- 73% of beach litter worldwide is plastic.