Without reducing plastic production, keeping to the 1.5°C target will be out of reach.
It’s straightforward: Plastic fuels the climate crisis, yet it’s often left out of climate conversations at local, federal, and international levels.
Over 99% of plastics are made from fossil fuels, and from extraction to disposal, plastics are a major climate polluter. In fact, if the plastic life cycle were a country, it would be the 5th largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world.
What’s worse? Low-income, BIPOC communities in the Global North and South—who have contributed the least to climate change—are facing the worst impacts of climate breakdown and plastic pollution.
If we hope to remain within the 1.5°C global temperature increase scientists have pinpointed as critical to avoiding the most devastating impacts of climate change, we *need* world leaders to acknowledge and act to reduce new plastic production.