Plastic & Climate: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet

The report details how plastic production, refining, waste management, and environmental degradation contribute significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions. It warns that by 2050, cumulative emissions from plastic could consume 10–13 percent of the remaining carbon budget, potentially making the 1.5°C climate target impossible to achieve. The document advocates for ending single-use plastics and stopping the expansion of petrochemical infrastructure to mitigate these impacts.

• Greenhouse gas emissions from the plastic lifecycle are projected to reach 1.34 gigatons per year by 2030 if current production and use trends continue, which is equivalent to the emissions of over 295 new 500-megawatt coal-fired power plants.
• Cumulative greenhouse gas emissions from plastic could exceed 56 gigatons by 2050, representing approximately 10–13 percent of the total remaining carbon budget required to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
• Plastic emissions occur at four primary stages: fossil fuel extraction and transport, refining and manufacture, waste management, and the ongoing degradation of plastic in the environment.
• In the United States, 2015 emissions from fossil fuel extraction and transport for plastic were at least 9.5–10.5 million metric tons of CO2e, while global emissions from ethylene cracking in 2015 ranged between 184.3 and 213.0 million metric tons of CO2e.
• Plastic pollution in the oceans may impair the biological carbon pump by contaminating phytoplankton and zooplankton, potentially reducing the ocean's capacity to sequester carbon dioxide.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2019). Plastic & Climate: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet. https://www.ciel.org/project-update/plastic-climate-the-hidden-costs-of-a-plastic-planet/

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Plastic & Climate: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet. 2019. https://www.ciel.org/project-update/plastic-climate-the-hidden-costs-of-a-plastic-planet/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Plastic & Climate: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet |date=11 November 2019 |url=https://www.ciel.org/project-update/plastic-climate-the-hidden-costs-of-a-plastic-planet/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2019plastic, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Plastic \& Climate: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://www.ciel.org/project-update/plastic-climate-the-hidden-costs-of-a-plastic-planet/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }