{"id":68959,"date":"2025-03-18T12:10:54","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T16:10:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/?p=68959"},"modified":"2025-07-02T04:04:38","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T08:04:38","slug":"plastics-dirty-secret-its-making-climate-change-worse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/story\/68959\/plastics-dirty-secret-its-making-climate-change-worse\/","title":{"rendered":"Plastic\u2019s dirty secret \u2013 it\u2019s making climate change worse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Plastic waste is everywhere. Take a look at any garbage bin on a city street. You\u2019ll probably see some plastic cups, forks, or take-out containers.<\/p>\n\n

But here\u2019s a surprise. People have also found plastic in places as remote as the deepest part of the ocean<\/a> and the tallest mountains. And microplastics<\/strong> are filling the air we breathe and the food we eat<\/a>. Microplastic pollution occurs when plastic breaks into smaller pieces.<\/p>\n\n

If the plastic industry gets its way, it will be making three times more plastic<\/a> than it was in 2019. <\/strong>That\u2019s why it\u2019s time to ask some hard questions about plastic<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

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A tourist walks along a beach covered in piles of debris and plastic waste in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia. \u00a9 Made Nagi \/ Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Where does plastic come from?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Over 99%<\/a> of plastics are made from fossil fuels, like oil, coal, and natural gas. The fossil fuels are refined<\/strong> to make petrochemicals<\/strong>, which are the building blocks of the plastics we use in our daily lives. Many fossil fuel companies are also involved in making plastic, including Shell and ExxonMobil.<\/p>\n\n

How are plastics changing the climate?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

When we burn fossil fuels for energy, they release greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the main cause of global warming<\/a>. Unfortunately, as we heat up the planet, we\u2019re also changing the climate.<\/p>\n\n

Plastics play a big role in climate change by releasing carbon dioxide throughout their life cycle. It starts with the moment we remove fossil fuels from the ground and transport them. It continues when we manufacture plastic and when we dispose of and process plastic waste. The plastics industry releases four times<\/a> more greenhouse gas than the airline industry!<\/p>\n\n

We can only release so much more carbon dioxide into the air if we want to stop the world\u2019s temperature from rising and avoid the worst impacts of climate change.<\/p>\n\n

What are some other problems with plastic?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Plastic waste is flooding our communities and polluting the land, sea, soil, and ice. Plastic pollution builds up in ecosystems and harms many types of wildlife. Up to 9 in 10 seabirds<\/a> and 1 in 3 sea turtles<\/a> have eaten plastic.<\/p>\n\n

The chemicals that we use to make all this plastic also threaten wildlife, as well as human health, especially the health of people who work in or live near the plastic industry. We use over 16,000<\/a> chemicals to make plastic products, including known cancer-causing chemicals like benzene.<\/p>\n\n

Aamjiwnaang First Nation declared a state of emergency in April 2024, after a nearby plastic factory released high levels of benzene into the air. The spike caused illnesses in the community and the factory had to shut down<\/a> its operations. Leaks like this are common.<\/p>\n\n

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A clear plastic bottle drifts in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Living on this single bottle were bryozoans, nudibranchs, crabs, and barnacles. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a soupy mix of plastics and microplastics, now twice the size of Texas, in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean. \u00a9 Justin Hofman \/ Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Ending plastic pollution<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
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