The Correlation Between Plastic and Climate Change

While biodiversity and ecosystem degradation are often the focus of plastic-related research, the contribution of plastic to the cumulative climate-relevant trace gases is often unrecognized. As such, the plastic crisis is much less commonly viewed as a contributor to climate change. This chapter primarily explores the lifecycle impacts of plastics on cumulative greenhouse gas emissions. It then investigates the cyclical nature of plastic pollution and extreme weather events. The chapter also illustrates, in brief, the impacts of plastic pollutants on the largest carbon sinks on earth and investigates the adverse effects on global food supplies. It then discusses landfill emission contributions and other land-related complications as they relate to plastic. Plastic pollution is a significant driver of marine biodiversity loss and so are the impacts of climate change. Microplastics (MPs) have also been identified as an emerging threat to much larger organisms, like whales that are exposed to MP ingestion as a result of their filter-feeding activity.