Plastic's Carbon Footprint: How Much Is Too Much?

Plastic has a big carbon footprint. The world's plastic carbon footprint accounts for 4.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and it's growing. By one estimate, emissions from producing and incinerating plastics could amount to 56 gigatons of carbon between now and 2050. That's almost 50 times the annual emissions of all the coal power plants in the US.

Plastic production and incineration could account for 56 gigatons of carbon by 2050

The world's plastic carbon footprint currently accounts for 4.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and it's growing. Plastic is a big contributor to global warming, and its alternatives are too. The extraction and transport of fossil fuels to create plastic produce significant greenhouse gases. Sources include direct emissions, like methane leakage and flaring, emissions from fuel combustion and energy consumption in the process of drilling for oil or gas, and emissions caused by land disturbance when forests and fields are cleared for well pads and pipelines. In the United States alone in 2015, emissions from fossil fuel extraction and transport attributed to plastic production were at least 9.5–10.5 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents per year.

Typical fossil plastics have a global warming potential of between 1.7 and 3.5 kg of CO2, depending on the type of plastic. This means that for every kilogram of fossil-based plastic produced, there is between 1.7 and 3.5 kilograms of carbon dioxide released.

Plastic production is expected to almost quadruple by 2050, according to the World Economic Forum. The American Chemistry Council says the U.S. industry plans to spend $47 billion on new plastics-production capacity over the next decade.

Plastic waste litters cities, oceans and the air

The world's plastic carbon footprint accounts for 4.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and it's growing. The extraction and transport of fossil fuels to create plastic produces significant greenhouse gases. In the US alone in 2015, emissions from fossil fuel extraction and transport attributed to plastic production were at least 9.5-10.5 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents per year.

The problem is that plastic is so useful. It is used in hospitals and to prevent food botulism. However, it is also tough on the planet, especially when considering its production and the amount of plastic waste that ends up in landfills.

Typical fossil plastics have a global warming potential of between 1.7 and 3.5 kg of CO2, depending on the type of plastic. This means that for every kilogram of fossil-based plastic produced, there is between 1.7 and 3.5 kilograms of carbon dioxide released.

The extraction and transport of fossil fuels to create plastic produces significant greenhouse gases

The world's plastic carbon footprint accounts for 4.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and this percentage is expected to grow. By one estimate, emissions from plastics production and incineration could amount to 56 gigatons of carbon between the present and 2050. This is because plastic production is expected to almost quadruple by then, according to the World Economic Forum.

The carbon footprint of plastic varies depending on the type of plastic. Typical fossil plastics have a global warming potential of between 1.7 and 3.5 kg of CO2 per kilogram of plastic produced. This means that the production of plastic contributes significantly to global warming, and the alternatives to plastic are not necessarily better. For example, paper has low barrier properties and does not protect food from moisture as effectively as plastic does.

Plastic accounts for 4.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions

Plastic is a big contributor to global warming. The world's plastic carbon footprint accounts for 4.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and this figure is growing.

The extraction and transport of fossil fuels to create plastic produces significant greenhouse gases. Sources include direct emissions, like methane leakage and flaring, emissions from fuel combustion and energy consumption in the process of drilling for oil or gas, and emissions caused by land disturbance when forests and fields are cleared for well pads and pipelines. In the United States alone in 2015, emissions from fossil fuel (largely fracked gas) extraction and transport attributed to plastic production were at least 9.5–10.5 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents (CO2e) per year.

Typical fossil plastics have a global warming potential of between 1.7 and 3.5 kg of CO2, depending on the type of plastic. This means that for every kilogram of fossil-based plastic produced, there is between 1.7 and 3.5 kilograms of carbon dioxide released.

By one estimate, emissions from producing and incinerating plastics could amount to 56 gigatons of carbon between now and 2050. That's almost 50 times the annual emissions of all of the coal power plants in the U.S. Plastic production is expected to almost quadruple by 2050, according to the World Economic Forum.

Fossil-based plastics have a global warming potential of 1.7 to 3.5 kg of CO2 per kg of plastic

Plastic has a big carbon footprint. The world's plastic carbon footprint accounts for 4.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and this is growing. The extraction and transport of fossil fuels to create plastic produces significant greenhouse gases. In the United States alone in 2015, emissions from fossil fuel extraction and transport attributed to plastic production were at least 9.5–10.5 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents (CO2e) per year.

By one estimate, emissions from producing and incinerating plastics could amount to 56 gigatons of carbon between now and 2050. That's almost 50 times the annual emissions of all of the coal power plants in the U.S. Plastic production is expected to almost quadruple by then.

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