Plastic & Climate

The report argues that the plastic lifecycle is a significant and growing driver of climate change, potentially consuming 1013 percent of the remaining carbon budget by 2050. It details emissions from fracking, steam cracking, and incineration, while highlighting the emerging threat of microplastics interfering with the ocean's carbon sink. The authors conclude that only a dramatic reduction in plastic production and a transition to zero-waste systems can mitigate these impacts.

• If current growth trajectories continue, annual emissions from plastic production and incineration could reach 1.34 gigatons by 2030 and 2.8 gigatons by 2050.
• Steam cracking is the largest direct source of emissions during the refining and manufacturing stage; naphtha cracking is more energy-intensive and produces 73 percent more CO2 per metric ton of ethylene than ethane cracking.
• Incineration is the most carbon-intensive plastic waste management method, with one metric ton of burned plastic resulting in 0.9 metric tons of net CO2e emissions, even after accounting for energy recovery.
• Plastic in the environment releases greenhouse gases as it degrades; specifically, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) in powder form off-gases methane 488 times more rapidly than in pellet form.
• Microplastics may impair the ocean's biological carbon pump by reducing the photosynthesis rates of phytoplankton by up to 45 percent and decreasing the feeding rates and survival of zooplankton.
• The report identifies 'false solutions' that do not meaningfully address the climate crisis, including biodegradable plastics, bio-feedstocks, and waste-to-energy incineration, the latter of which may increase net emissions as the energy grid shifts toward renewables.
• The most effective strategy to reduce the climate impact of plastic is to immediately reduce the production and use of single-use, disposable plastic and stop the expansion of petrochemical infrastructure.

APA

Hamilton, L. A., Feit, S., Muffett, C., Kelso, M., Rubright, S. M., Bernhardt, C., Schaeffer, E., Moon, D., Morris, J., & Labbé-Bellas, R. (2019). Plastic & Climate. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Plastic-and-Climate-FINAL-2019.pdf

Chicago

Hamilton, Lisa Anne, Steven Feit, Carroll Muffett, Matt Kelso, Samantha Malone Rubright, Courtney Bernhardt, Eric Schaeffer, et al. Plastic & Climate. Center for International Environmental Law, 2019. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Plastic-and-Climate-FINAL-2019.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{hamilton2019plastic, author = {Hamilton, Lisa Anne and Feit, Steven and Muffett, Carroll and Kelso, Matt and Rubright, Samantha Malone and Bernhardt, Courtney and Schaeffer, Eric and Moon, Doun and Morris, Jeffrey and Labbé-Bellas, Rachel}, title = {{Plastic \& Climate}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2019}, month = may, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Plastic-and-Climate-FINAL-2019.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }