Plastic and Climate Change

Is there a link between plastic and climate change? New reports find that plastic is a major contributor to climate change.

We hear a lot about how plastic affects oceans, wildlife and even people but less talked about is how it affects climate.

When we think about the life cycle of a piece of plastic, there are huge impacts from fossil fuels and greenhouse gases.

In 2019, estimates show that the emissions from plastic processes would be the equivalent of 189 coal-fired power plants. That increases to 295 by 2030 and 615 by 2050.

How does ocean plastic affect the climate?

The full impact of ocean plastic on the climate isn’t yet known. However, it is understood that they keep releasing greenhouse gases. As a result of this, the ocean cannot absorb as much carbon dioxide.

In short, ocean plastics affect climate by releasing methane and affecting the ocean’s carbon dioxide control.

This is what the WWF say:

“…sunlight and heat cause the plastic to release powerful greenhouse gases, leading to an alarming feedback loop. As our climate changes, the planet gets hotter, the plastic breaks down into more methane and ethylene, increasing the rate of climate change, and so perpetuating the cycle.”

Source: https://www.wwf.org.au

What can I do?

It all comes back to single-use plastic! We need to stop using single-use plastic products and make the demand for them drop so that production changes.

There are plenty of changes that we can all make. Search our Blog Posts for simple switches and recipes for making your own products.

It’s fun, educational, money saving and it helps the planet.

Go and have a look at the 52 Climate Actions website, they have a fantastic resource of tips and suggestions on how you can help, on all different themes.

Sources for this post:
https://www.ehn.org/
https://www.wwf.org.au/