Plastic and Climate - Hidden Costs of Plastic Planets
AROUND BLUE
Sep 1, 20222 min read
Nature digs up fossil fuels that have been buried in the ground for many years and releases carbon back into the air. This results in an excessive carbon greenhouse effect.
In the process of producing plastics, in the process of easy use and disposal, and in the process of being incinerated after disposal, plastics affect climate change. I introduce you to the data that have been examined and analyzed in great detail about this content.
"Plastic & Climate - THE HIDDEN COSTS OF PLASTIC PLANET" published in 2019 by the International Center for Environmental Law. I'm sharing the original, so if you need it, you can refer to it.
The original text summarized briefly by the Institute for Climate Change Action is also added, so it would be good to refer to it.
Many greenhouse gases are emitted directly or indirectly in the process of extracting and transporting materials (oil, coal, natural gas, grain, etc.) to make plastics, and in the process of synthesizing and manufacturing various types of plastics or objects. Greenhouse gases continue to be emitted after use
The Center for International Environmental Law has published a report titled Plastic and Climate Change: Hidden Costs of Plastic Earth in collaboration with organizations concerned about plastic pollution.
According to the report, a total of 0.86 giga tons of carbon dioxide will be generated into the atmosphere through plastic production and incineration in 2019. It is equal to the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from 189 coal-fired power plants with a capacity of 500 megawatts. At this current rate, greenhouse gases generated in the life cycle of plastics will be a major obstacle to reaching global carbon emission reduction targets.
But "End of Life is not Not End of Impact" Plastic left untreated in nature is also estimated to affect climate change. According to Royer (2018), methane and ethylene are emitted when polyethylene (PE), which accounts for about 36% of the world's plastics, is depleted by light, heat, humidity, chemical oxidation, and biological activity.
Its emissions vary depending on the molecular structure of the plastic, whether it is exposed to sunlight, and the size of the piece (plastic powder, pieces, or lumps). For example, the more loosely coupled structures (LDPE>HDPE), the smaller they break over time, and the more they are exposed to sunlight (especially ultraviolet rays), the more greenhouse gases they emit. This means that greenhouse gases continue to be emitted from plastic bags and toys that are thrown away anywhere.
Microplastics in the ocean also interfere with the ocean's ability to absorb and store carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. According to laboratory studies, phytoplankton holds carbon dioxide in the atmosphere through photosynthesis, and microplastics in seawater degrade its ability. Animal plankton play a role in transporting carbon deep into the ocean, and microplastics reduce the basal metabolic rate, reproduction success rate, and survival rate of animal plankton.
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