Plastic Pollution vs Climate Change
- Elizabeth Dymond
- Dec 11, 2018
- 2 min read
Recently in the news a story was released that caught my attention. It focused on Mr Singh-Watson who stated that paying attention to trying to cut plastic pollution was distracting away from the topic of climate change. However could the two be seen as one and the same?
The petrochemical industry, which includes plastics, is seen as the biggest grower in demand for oil, due to its close ties, and is the third highest sector when regarding greenhouse gas emissions. This is no surprise as approximately 99% of all plastics are created from fossil fuels and also require large amounts of power to transform the raw materials into the plastic that we know. It is thought that 30 million plastic bags are used every year in America and 12 million barrels of oil are used to create them; with our knowledge of fossil fuels it is apparent that this is going to have further consequences to the climate.
Furthermore it is apparent that under warmer environmental conditions methane can be released from plastic when breaking down. Alongside the well-known carbon dioxide, methane accumulating in the atmosphere has massive impacts on the changing climate; whilst there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere the methane present is able to absorb more energy therefore the consequences could be seen as more severe. Microplastics having a larger surface area can also cause an increase in hydrocarbons to be released. As mentioned in previous posts there is an increase in microplastics seen in the natural environment – this could greater the causation of climate change.
What is apparent is that attitudes towards plastic pollution and climate change are very similar. I have mentioned previously that for the problem of plastic to be diminished that there must be a vast overhaul of the attitudes towards it; something very similar is needed in the case of climate change. It could be said that both of the issues addressed are a result of overvaluing money and convenience; tackling these could result in finding an overall solution.
Found your comment at the end regarding the need for an overhaul in attitudes to both plastic and climate change really interesting! Over-valuing money and the desire for convenience has a lot to be said as a root cause of so many problems we face as a society, it seems.
My GEC blogs are over on kirstiebrittain.com on Antarctica, if you’d like to check them out!