Thread by @valmasdel

A new Frequently Asked Question : what is the role of plastics in climate change?

Please help me to provide accurate answers. My first attempt is here (thread, 1/...)

Massive plastic production is marked by a sharp increase globally, leading to 359 million tons of global plastic production in 2017 (growth of +3.8% per year anticipated for the next decade) (2/...)
Data : plasticseurope.org
Publication : doi.org/10.1016/j.jcle…

This massive production is associated with pollution with visible plastic waste, plastic waste management (including landfills and incineration), and the accumulation of microplastics in the environment, including rivers and the ocean. Globally, only 14% is recycled. (3/...)

Plastic industrials have also become the most important and rapidly growing source of industrial greenhouse gas emissions (same source) (4/...)

Greenhouse gas emissions come from each stage of the plastic life cycle (from cradle to grave): extraction, transportation and refining of raw material, production (olefins) and manufacturing, waste collection, recycling, incineration, landfills (5/...)

Even the photodegradation of some plastic waste in the environment (especially polyethylene) can release small amounts of greenhouse gases (methane, ethylene) (6/...) Source : journals.plos.org/plosone/articl…

A lifecycle analysis of greenhouse gas emissions from plastics leads to an estimate of around 1.7 Gt of CO2-equivalent (CO2e) in 2015 (3.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions), which could be multipled by 3-4 by 2050 if current trends continue (7/...)
nature.com/articles/s4155…

The same study shows the potential to stabilize (or even reduce) current plastic industry greenhouse gas emissions through transitions to low carbon energy, biomass rather than fossil fuel feedstock, recycling and demand-management strategies (8/...).

Petrochemicals are set to account for over a third of the growth in oil demand to 2030, and nearly half to 2050, (>trucks, aviation, shipping) + an additional 56 billion cubic metres of natural gas by 2030 (9/...)
iea.org/reports/the-fu…

This highlights the importance of strategies for global plastics production (related to the use of fossil fuels/petrochemicals) & demand to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming.

Any help to complement and update this summary is appreciated! END.