Growing carbon footprint for plastics

 

Jesse Bhatia

1/17/21
Current Event

Mr.Ippolito

 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211202113504.htm Growing carbon footprint for plastics,Science Daily,December 2, 2021,ETH Zurich, Accessed 1/17/21

 

Plastics are useful, cheap and extremely popular. Global demand has quadrupled in the last forty years and is expected to continue to rise, with correspondingly negative consequences for the environment and human health. These researchers in the article are looking into the global environmental impact of plastics and have also focused primarily on the disposal phase. When assessing the global footprint of plastic subtopics , “a study recently published in Nature Sustainability, the researchers show that the global carbon footprint of plastics has doubled since 1995, reaching 2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) in 2015”. The summary of this subtraction shows how the carbon footprint has grown rapidly. When assessing Coal for process heat, electricity and as a raw material subtopic in their study “the researchers identify booming plastic production in coal-based newly industrialized countries such as China, India, Indonesia and South Africa as the main cause of the growing greenhouse gas footprint of plastics.” When coal is burned, it produces extremely fine particles that accumulate in the air. Such particulate matter is highly harmful to health and can cause asthma, bronchitis and cardiovascular disease. Moreover, this leaves a big impact because if we do not act quickly then we will not be alive to act at all due to the carbon affecting our health and affecting everyone.  In the subtopic under estimating plastic production this study found the ETH researchers have now proven that twice as much fossil energy is burned for plastic production as is contained as a raw material in plastic. The overall production phase of plastics is responsible for the vast majority (96 percent) of the carbon footprint of plastics. In the last subtopic insight thanks to new methodology "This underestimated the greenhouse gas emissions, however, because it did not take into account the increasing dependence on coal due to the outsourcing of production processes to coal-based countries," Cabernard explains.

            Connection from burning coal to society would be that it affects human health and negatively affects us. To show it here is a quote” When coal is burned, it produces extremely fine particles that accumulate in the air. Such particulate matter is highly harmful to health and can cause asthma, bronchitis, and cardiovascular disease. As more and more coal is used for processing heat, electricity and as a raw material in plastic production, the negative consequences for health are also increasing.”. This shows the effect of burning coal to society and how it affects Society. Moreover and effect on society would be that the global health footprint of plastics from fine particulate air pollution has increased by 70 percent, causing approximately 2.2 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2015. Thanks to Pfister and Hellweg, their approach involves a multi-regional input-output analysis that can accurately map global supply chains from production to consumption across industries, countries and regions Which therefore affects Society to accurately map global Supply chains from production to consumption across Industries to help society monitor it.

            A strength of this article is using the effect of carbon and plastic and connecting it with Society such as human health which therefore draws in readers because it affects them and they wouldn't read something that doesn't affect them. So this article connects to us and shows why we need to join in to stop growing carbon footprint. I would say that this article has no weakness in my opinion due to the fact that has many different research has gone in different subtopics to back up their claim and support why coal Is impacting society and health long with plastic.I would suggest to the readers to read this and learn more about the growing issue yet there are no suggestions to improve this article because it is Well written.