This entry documents my research on the link between SDG 12 & Plastic Pollution.
A key target of SDG Goal 12 is to reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse and the type of waste I will be focusing on is Plastic waste since the most widely consumed, produced and disposed
material is Plastic which has resulted in the global issue of Plastic Pollution.
The triple planetary crisis refers to the three main interlinked issues that humanity currently faces: climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. Each of these issues has its own causes and effects and each issue needs to be resolved if we are to have a viable future on this planet.
As 99% of plastics are created from fossil fuel feedstocks, plastic production is tightly linked to the fossil industry. Greenhouse gases (GHG) are emitted throughout the plastic life cycle, thus threatening the ability of the global community to keep global temperature rise below 1.5°C. The rapid global growth of the plastic industry, largely fueled by natural gas, undermines efforts to reduce carbon pollution and prevent a climate catastrophe. Estimates indicate that GHG emissions from plastics could reach about 13% of the entire remaining carbon budget by 2050.
Plastic waste degradation and management releases toxic substances including heavy metals such as lead and mercury, acid gases and particulate matter, which can enter air, water, and soil causing both direct and indirect health risks for workers and nearby communities
In addition to fueling the climate crisis, plastic can seriously harm ecosystems when leaking into the environment. This includes physical impacts such as animals getting entangled in or ingesting plastic, chemical harm caused by hazardous additives in plastic products or biological damage through plastic particles carrying invasive species or impeding important biological processes such as carbon sequestration.