It is shocking to learn that we humans are literally made of stardust. Almost all the elements in our bodies come from material created when stars exploded over the past 13 billion years.
It's sobering in another way to know that by burning carbon, we star children are endangering life on Earth, including our own. You can stop it, but you can't.
Now the oil industry is creating another life-threatening problem. Plastic waste has found its way into the bodies of nearly every breathing life form on Earth.
The jury is still out on whether the international community will resolve this issue.
We've all seen photos of marine life being strangled by plastic waste. It also affects the human body. Trace amounts of plastic waste are present not only in the placenta and breast milk, but also in the blood, brain, heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, and testes. We ingest microplastics from fruits and vegetables, water, plastic bottles, seafood, cosmetics, house dust, and the air. Plastic is everywhere it shouldn't be.
How big is the problem? By some estimates, there are 51 trillion microscopic pieces of plastic on Earth, weighing There are 1,345 blue whales, which is 500 times the number of stars in our galaxy. Amount of plastic ever produced More than biomass All of the world's land and marine animals. Plastic waste is so widespread and persistent that it can take up to 1,000 years to decompose. of reason Geologists have concluded that humans are currently the most destructive force on Earth.
There are some notable parallels between the climate and the plastic crisis. Both are caused by the oil industry, where petrochemicals are used to make most plastics. Both wastes are spread all over the world. Both are products of business models that profit from degrading the environment and threatening human health. In both cases, big oil companies are escaping the “polluter pays'' principle and forcing the environment and society to pay for the damages.
Big oil companies are so powerful and embedded in the economy that governments are unwilling or unable to stop them. In fact, most countries either subsidize oil production or operate oil production. Total of direct and indirect subsidies 7 trillion dollars While carbon dioxide emissions receive most of the attention, plastic waste receives little attention.
“Our economy is heavily dependent on petrochemicals, but this sector has understandably gotten far less attention.” Fati BirolDirector-General of the International Energy Agency. “Petrochemicals are one of the key blind spots in the global energy debate, especially given their impact on future energy trends.”
International leaders signed a treaty in 1992 committing to controlling climate change. They have just finished the 29th Conference of the Parties to discuss it, but the world is still moving toward a future where life in some parts of the planet becomes untenable.
It's already happening. for example, new research concluded that global warming was responsible for half of the 68,000 European deaths from excessive heat two years ago.
Nevertheless, the fossil fuel industry strongly opposes any effective response to the climate and plastics crisis. more 1,770 fossil fuel lobbyists The number of people registered to participate in COP-29 exceeded the number of delegations from most countries. Today, November 25, countries are meeting in South Korea to finalize a legally binding agreement to take action on plastic pollution. almost 200 lobbyists Registered from the chemical and petroleum industry.
almost 70 countries Policies supporting caps on plastic production new research It concludes that it is “the only reasonable strategy to tackle plastic pollution.” however, Biden administration The oil industry reportedly supports a “flexible” approach – voluntary national agreements and market signals to reduce waste. And under President-elect Trump, it is unlikely that the United States will join the international plastics pact under any terms.
As for the rest of the world, the failure of the Paris climate agreement so far shows that voluntary targets do not work. Market-based planning will not work until the prices of plastics and oil reflect their full lifecycle costs to society and the environment. Well, that is Virgin plastic production becomes cheaper for oil companies than using recycled materials.
Meanwhile, global demand for plastics is growing rapidly, nearly doubling since 2000. The same goes for plastic waste. Analysts say oil companies like ExxonMobil increase plastic manufacturing Due to reduced demand for oil in the transportation sector and other sectors. international energy agency predicts that plastic production will drive nearly half of oil demand growth by mid-century.
Another similarity between climate change and the plastic crisis is that oil companies are touting dubious technological fixes. Carbon capture and sequestration is their answer to burning fossil fuels, but power plants and factories equipped with this technology cannot generate electricity at prices competitive with carbon-free renewable energy.
One poorly thought out technological solution to plastic waste is to burn it in steelmaking, a carbon-intensive industry. The U.S. Department of Energy $183 million loan guarantee For companies that want to do this. The loan is subject to an environmental impact review, but air emissions are likely to be unhealthy. Green hydrogen, not plastic, is the fuel of the future for steelmaking. (The Department of Energy also funds some of these projects.)
A final similarity between the two crises is that cities and states are suing oil companies for damages from both types of pollution. Several studies have proven that Oil companies concealed their knowledge That fossil fuels cause climate change. Similarly, the lawsuit alleges that oil companies falsely claimed that recycling plastics was the solution, when in fact it was not. in fact, Less than 10% of plastic is recycled.
Plastic lawsuits have met with mixed success so far. What is certain is that if consumers buy plastic, oil companies will continue to make it. And as long as virgin plastic is cheaper than recycled plastic, recycling remains a sham. Bioplastics could be considered as a solution, but need a job To make them viable.
Until then, plastic waste will continue to accumulate in virtually every ecosystem, every animal species, and every human body. Go over there, Stardust.
William S. BeckerHe is executive director of the President's Climate Action Project and a former senior official at the U.S. Department of Energy.
