The data is clear. Global plastic production doubled from 2000 to 2019, reaching 460 million tonnes (Mt) per year, and without action is anticipated to nearly triple by 2050 and projected to consume 13% or more of Earth’s remaining carbon budget to keep warming below 1.5°C.
This uncontrolled production of plastics is accelerating the triple planetary crisis – climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, threatening human health at an unimaginable scale, and exacerbating racial, gender and economic inequality across the globe.
As we head into the third round of international negotiations for a global Plastics treaty in Kenya, global leaders must step up to the reality that the only way to address the plastics crisis and avoid the worst effects of the climate emergency is to set ambitious rules that significantly reduce the amount of plastics produced. World leaders have an opportunity to be ambitious and if they fail, we will all lose.
For the full story, click here.