Almroth, Bethanie Carney

Bergmann, Melanie

Brander, S.

Dey, Tridibesh

Green, Dannielle S.

Gundogdu, Sedat

Krieger, Anja

English

Electronic Publication Information Center

Home > Popular > plastic PollutionJun 03, 2022Why the U.N.’s plastic treaty must cap production andinclude chemicals too.In March, the United Nations’ Environment Assembly adopted a landmark resolution,supported by 175 countries, to end plastic pollution with a legally binding treaty.Negotiations, expected to take two years, began this week. As a group of nine internationalexperts on plastic pollution from eight countries, we’ve recently argued in a letter to thejournal Science that this treaty must cap plastic production and regulate the chemicals theycontain.Here’s why.Plastic impacts on future generationsIn the past 100 years, humanity has introduced an immense amount and variety of newOp-Ed: Closing the plastic tapchemicals and plastics to the planet. The current global plastic production is roughly 450million tons per year. If we add up all the plastics produced so far, their weight would surpassthe mass of all land and marine animals. Annual production is predicted to double by 2045,when today’s preschoolers are adults. They will likely live in a world of fragile ecosystemsand a changing climate. If plastic pollution continues unabated, it will exacerbate theseproblems.Plastics are now found in oceans, rivers, lakes, air, ice and soil. Scientists have identi�ed tinypieces of plastics in the human digestive system, blood stream, lungs and even the placenta.While we do not fully understand the impacts of this exposure, these �ndings are highlyconcerning. Chemical additives used in plastics include BPA, �ame retardants, phthalatesand thousands of other chemicals, many of which are toxic and have been linked to cancer,infertility, brain damage and other serious human health conditions.Plastics and chemicals have already altered vital Earth’s system processes to an extent thatexceeds the threshold under which humanity can safely develop and thrive in the future.Plastics contain tens of thousands of chemical additives, as well as non-intentionally addedsubstances. It’s impossible to ensure the safety of this large variety of substances, mixed in amyriad of different ways.Plastic’s climate change impacts The life cycle of plastic also has serious climate impacts. It accounts for 4.5% of the annualgreenhouse gas emissions and could consume 10% to 13% of our remaining carbon dioxidebudget by 2050. This is in part because single-use plastics are heavily produced in countriesdependent on coal.As the world shifts to renewable energy sources, the fossil fuel industry is looking toincrease plastics production. Plastic producers have been expanding their capacities by up to40%, with $180 billion invested in fracking (which produces ethylene, a critical ingredient invarious plastics), and in plastic production.There are many other, yet largely unexplored ways in which plastics could impact the Earth’ssystem. They could affect the amount of sunlight re�ected back to space in the Arctic. Orthey could change the carbon dioxide sequestration by phytoplankton and the marinecarbon pump, which is part of the ocean carbon cycle responsible for cycling of organicmatter formed by phytoplankton during photosynthesis. Plastics could also alter essentialnutrient cycling functions of soils on land.“Wish cycling” It is clear that we need to reduce plastics now. We cannot afford to become yet moredependent on historically �awed and insuf�cient strategies of downstream wastemanagement.Even high-income countries are ill-equipped to keep pace with the growing amount of waste.Recycling is often just “wish-cycling,” as environmental sociologist Rebecca Altman puts it.Recycling rates are as low as 5% in the United States and average only 9% globally.Sometimes recycling is simply a global redistribution of waste. Millions of tons of plasticwaste are still exported from the Global North to the Global South. The toxic waste of theseexports frequently ends up disposed of by vulnerable communities, who carry the burden ofpollution. Scholars have identi�ed this as a form of colonialism.The idea of a circular economy hasn’t worked in practice and would be dif�cult to implementon the large scale needed. Yet the steep increase in plastic production isn’t challengedenough. As a result, more and more plastics and toxic compounds are leaking into all cornersof the environment and into our bodies.Unfortunately, this isn’t a mess we can clean up later. Breaking down into micro andnanoparticles, it’s a form of pollution that is irretrievable and irreversible. Trying to sift it upis a Sisyphean task that might endanger crucial ecosystems, such as the neuston – tinyorganisms �oating with ocean currents to areas where plastic waste accumulates.Phasing out virgin plasticsRecycling rates are as low as 5% in the United States and average only 9% globally. (Credit: Lisa Risager/�ickr)Even when applying all political and technological solutions available today — includingsubstitution, improved recycling, waste management and circularity — annual plasticemissions to the environment can only be cut by 79% over 20 years, a study of scenarios inthe journal Science found. It also suggests that, even with these actions, after 2040 17.3million tons of plastic waste will still be released to the environment yearly. The pathforward must include a phase-out of virgin plastic production by 2040.In calling for a production cap, we do not discount the bene�ts that plastics present inhealthcare or transportation. We are mindful of the possibilities that plastics engender inlow-income countries or for disability communities. We do not envision a future withoutplastics, but one with much less of it, just for the applications that are necessary or vital forvulnerable populations. For all remaining plastics we need a robust circular economy thatregulates toxic plastic chemicals as well, keeping them out of the loop to ensure human and     environmental safety. A reduced production of new plastics would likely boost the value ofrecycled feedstock, incentivizing recycling. If justly regulated, this would securesocioeconomic bene�ts and operational safety for millions of workers across the world, whodraw a living removing and renewing plastic waste.The new plastic treaty could create opportunities for innovation in technology, society,science and policy-making — bringing together citizens, scientists, industry andgovernments alike. We hope that it will be strong, binding and creative, bravely tackling thetrue roots of the issue.This article is a collaborative work of the authors together, �nd their bios here.Banner photo: Celebrating the UN resolution on plastic, which passed in March 2022.(Credit: UNEP)Related Articles From Our NewsroomPlastic Pollution, Explained - EHN ›Ocean Plastic Pollution - EHN ›Scientists: US Needs To Support A Strong Global Agreement To Curb ... ›How The United Nations Could Avoid Silencing Voices During Plastic ... ›Related Articles From The WebNations Sign Up To End Global Scourge Of Plastic Pollution | | UN News ›

Op-Ed: Closing the plastic tap. Why the U.N.’s plastic treaty must cap production and include chemicals too.

https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/56212/1/Brander_et_al_2022_Op_Ed_Closingtheplastictap.pdf

Op-Ed: Closing the plastic tap. Why the U.N.’s plastic treaty must cap production and include chemicals too.

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