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The Transition | October 2022
People and progress in solving the ocean plastic crisis


Help us map plastic-fouled beaches. We are hoping to wrap up the first wave of contributions to our map of plastic fouled beaches by October 30. Please help us spread the word on social media, in newsletters, and through personal communications with your contacts. To make it easy, we have provided sample language, an image, and the links to social media below. Here's a link to the survey form. Thank you!

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Did you know?


65% of coal plants in the U.S. have been retired, but the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from coal plants are being replaced by emissions from plastics.” (6)
 
 

 
 

Taking a Deeper Dive

Plastic isn’t just scarring marine ecosystems - it's also contributing to climate change

Plastic Pollution Lifecycle.png

Image credit: Break Free from Plastic.  

While images of plastic-strewn beaches are OpenOceans Global’s way of creating awareness of the ocean plastic crisis, another more invisible threat from plastic is emerging: plastic's contributions to climate change.

As coal-fired power plants close and petrochemical infrastructure expands in the U.S., the plastic industry’s contribution to climate change has been projected to exceed that of coal by the year 2037.

Plastic contributes to climate change in the following ways (examples from various studies in this emerging field of research. Numbers are not additive. Numerals in parentheses indicate the source at the end of the list.):

  1. Extraction and transportation. “Extraction and transportation of fossil fuels is a carbon intensive activity emitting an estimated 12.5 to 13.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per year to create feed stocks for virgin plastic.” (1)
  2. Fracking specifically. "By actual weight, the extraction of fracked gasses in the U.S. for plastics production at home and abroad releases at least 1.5 million tons of leaked methane each year. Because methane lingers for a dozen years in the atmosphere, these leaks are additive. They accumulate over time. In the standard EPA greenhouse gas accounting method, methane is considered to be 25 times more harmful than carbon dioxide, so 1.5 million tons of leaked methane has the impact of 37.5 million tons of CO2e gas releases -- about what is released by nineteen 500-MW coal-fired power plants." (6)
  3. Land disturbance. "About 19.2 million acres have been cleared for oil and gas development in the United States,” (1) including pipelines. “Assuming a third of the land is forested, 1.686 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere as a result of clearing." (1)
  4. Production emissions. “Each life cycle phase of plastics produces GHGs, with an estimated 61% of these emitted during the production phase.” (10)
  5. Plastic facilities. "More than 130 plastics facilities and related power plants report their emissions to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), providing a baseline figure that at least 114 million tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e) gas are released from them per year. This is roughly equivalent to 57 average sized (500-megawatt) coal-fired power plants. At least 42 plastics facilities have opened since 2019, are under construction, or are in the permitting process. If they become fully operational, these new plastics plants could release an additional 55 million tons of CO2e gasses – the equivalent of another twenty-seven 500-megawatt coal-fired power plants." (6)
  6. Refining of ethylene. Between 184.3 and 213 million metric tons of CO2e result from plastic refining of ethylene in the U.S. each year, equal to the amount 45 million passenger vehicles emit annually. (2)
  7. Incineration. Incineration of plastic results in the emissions of 5.9 million metric tons of CO2e in the U.S. annually. “Based on projections from the World Energy Council, if plastics production and incineration increase as expected, greenhouse gas emissions will increase to 49 million metric tons by 2030 and 91 million metric tons by 2050.” (1)
  8. Open burning. Open burning of waste is common in South Asia and the developing world. Burning waste in open fires produces black carbon which has a global warming potential up to 5,000 times greater than that of carbon dioxide (CO2). (3)
  9. Landfilling. “Plastics in landfills are also known to emit methane, a powerful greenhouse gas” (10) While landfilling plastic has a lower climate impact than incineration, it contributes to environmental injustice. (1)
  10. Chemical recycling. "These facilities do not recycle. Most spend vast amounts of energy catalyzing chemical changes designed to turn plastics into more burnable fuel. The burning of plastics made in the U.S. already releases an estimated 15 million tons of greenhouse gasses. With this process, it will release far more. (6)
  11. Foam plastic insulation. “Each year, at least 27 million tons of CO2e gasses escape from foamed plastic insulation into the atmosphere.” (6)
  12. Exports of plastic. “Exports of gasses, resins, and other feed stocks for plastics manufacturing, and imports of overseas plastics and related chemicals, are causing at least 41 million tons of CO2e to be released per year.” (6)
  13. Breakdown of low-density polyethylene. One of the most common types of plastics found in the ocean, polyethylene – releases greenhouse gasses as it breaks down in the environment. (1)
  14. Degrading ocean photosynthesis. “Historically, ocean plankton has sequestered 30-50% of carbon dioxide emissions from human-related activities. Plankton are ingesting more microplastics which degrades plankton’s ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.” (1) “Marine microplastics can 1) affect phytoplankton photosynthesis and growth; 2) have toxic effects on zooplankton and affect their development and reproduction; 3) affect the marine biological pump; and 4) affect ocean carbon stock. Phytoplankton and zooplankton are the most important producer and consumer of the ocean.” (7)
  15. Ocean acidification. Absorption of CO2 in the ocean increases its acidity, a commonly known climate change impact. Plastic degradation contributes to ocean acidification via “the release of dissolved organic carbon compounds from both the plastic itself and its additives.” (4) “Aged plastic affects acidification much more than new plastic, which is very worrying, since most of the plastic found in the sea, whatever type it is, is degraded." (4)
  16. Carbon budget consumption. “If current trends continue, plastics will consume 15% of the global carbon budget by 2050. However, transitioning to sustainable waste management systems can save an estimated 15-20% of global GHG emissions.” (10)
  17. Emissions equivalence. “For 2018, the trade of eleven common globally traded plastic resins accounted for embodied GHG emissions comparable to the annual CO2 emissions from Italy or France, while the fossil energy demand was equivalent to 1.5 trillion tons of crude oil and the embedded carbon was equivalent to that of 118 MT of natural gas or 109 metric tons of petroleum.” (10)

Climate Change and Plastic Sources. The information above comes from review of these sources:

  1. How plastics contribute to climate change, Yale Climate Connections
  2. Plastic & Climate: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet, Center for International Environmental Law
  3. 6 reasons to blame plastic pollution for climate change, World Bank
  4. Plastic degradation in the ocean contributes to its acidification, phys.org
  5. Plastics of the future will live many past lives, thanks to chemical recycling, phys.org
  6. The New Coal: Plastics and Climate Change, Beyond Plastics
  7. Can microplastics pose a threat to ocean carbon sequestration? National Library of Medicine
  8. Plastics & Climate: How Single-Use Packaging is Fueling the Crisis, webinar video, Plastic Pollution Coalition
  9. Plastic Pollution Facts, Plastic Pollution Coalition
  10. Thomas Maes, Senior Scientist (Consultant) for GRIDArendal, presentation at a Global Partnership on Marine Litter webinar, October 6, 2022
 
 

 
   
 

 
 

Mapping Plastic-Fouled Coastlines

See more beaches fouled by plastic on our ocean plastic trash map. To report a shoreline pervasively fouled by significant amounts of plastic debris, use our online plastic trash reporting app.

This Month's Coastal Hotspot: Whitsand Bay, Cornwall, United Kingdom

Whitsand Beach Cornwall.pngIn 2020, Storms Ciara and Dennis battered the UK, leaving visitors "speechless" by the amount of plastic. There were billions of small plastic pellets, broken down pieces of plastic, cotton bud sticks, and bio-beads according to observers. According to the BBC, the Cornwall Council has said plastic pollution is "unsightly, a danger to wildlife, and in particular to sealife" and that it was working with community groups to "raise awareness of the need to drastically cut our consumption of single-use and non-essential plastics." The Council “cleans a number of beaches throughout Cornwall, removing huge quantities of plastic and other litter from the coastline.” Source: BBC News. Image credit: BBC News // waterhaul.co

 
 

 
 

Solutions

See more solutions on our ocean plastic solutions page. Have a solution we should know about? Submit it here.

This Month’s Featured Solutions:

Plastic Waste Makers Index
Category: Background Information

Plastic Waste Makers Index.pngComplied by the Minderoo Foundation, the Plastic Waste Makers Index identifies for the first time the companies that produce, from fossil fuels, the five primary polymers that generate the vast majority of single-use plastic waste globally (“virgin single-use plastic polymer producers”). The report also identifies which investors and banks are funding these companies. In addition, the report also assesses which companies are making real efforts to create a circular plastics economy, and estimates how virgin polymer production is expected to grow or decline in the future. The report has five major findings and also includes recommendations for change. Image credit: Minderoo Foundation


Stokes Drifter
Category: Ocean Current Research

Stokes Drifter 300x200.pngThe Stokes Drifter is a compact drifting buoy by MetOcean Telematics that is equipped with GNSS positioning, a sea surface temperature sensor, and Iridium satellite telemetry, which enables the buoy to transmit vital sensor and geo-positional location data in real-time. The STOKES was developed in collaboration with Dr. Nico Wienders, Florida State University. Dr. Wienders has spent the past 20 years studying the stokes drift which led to the design of the Stokes Drifter in 2015. The applications for the drifter are endless due to its engineering and design to mimic the stokes drift which is the main factor influencing floating pollutants in open waters. For more information. Image credit: MetOcean

 
 

 
 

Meet the Experts and Leaders

OpenOceans Global is identifying ocean plastic experts from around the world. Here are tthree experts leading efforts to reduce plastic pollution that you should know about.

Dr. Sarah-Jeanne Royer, Oceanographer, Center for Marine Debris Research

Sarah Jeanne Royer 300x200.pngDr. Sarah-Jeanne Royer is an oceanographer and a specialist in plastic degradation in the environment. She is currently working at The Ocean Cleanup and at the Center for Marine Debris Research at Hawai’i Pacific University. She worked for three years on microfibre degradation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Prior to this work, she investigated the greenhouse gas emissions from plastics in the environment at the Center for Microbial Oceanography, Research and Education and the pathways and fate of marine debris and plastic accumulation related to the North Pacific Garbage Patch debris at the International Pacific Research Center at the University of Hawaii. Royer has been involved with Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, a leader in Hawaiian beach cleanups, where she served as the science advisor. Over the past ten years, Sarah-Jeanne has been involved in 19 oceanographic expeditions in polar (Arctic and Antarctic), tropical, and sub-tropical regions. Her research has been published in 25 scientific journals and presented in more than 50 scientific conferences. In addition to her background in plastic pollution, she was the first female sergeant leading a group of 40 people in the first French Canadian regiment of the Canadian Army. She served with the Voltigeurs de Quebec for 13 years and participated in two missions in Kabul and Kandahar (Afghanistan) on international development and led a project on Afghan women. Royer has a PhD in Marine Sciences (Cum Laude) from the Institut de Ciències del Mar and the Universitat de Barcelona (Barcelona, Spain), an MS in international ecology from the University of Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke, Canada) and the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (Recife, Brazil), an MS in Biological Oceanography and a BS in Biology from Laval University (Québec, Canada). Image credit: Olivier Poirion


Dianna and Julia Cohen, co-founders, Plastic Pollution Coalition Sisters

Cohen Sisters.pngDianna Cohen (CEO) and Julia Cohen (Managing Director) are co-founders of Plastic Pollution Coalition, and are passionate advocates against plastic pollution. Plastic Pollution Coalition is a non-profit communications and advocacy organization that collaborates with an expansive global alliance of organizations, businesses, and individuals to create a more just, equitable, regenerative world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts. The organization was founded in 2009 by a small group of artists, activists, scientists, and leaders to dispel myths and euphemisms such as “marine debris” and “litter” and instead call it what it is: plastic pollution.

A Los Angeles-based visual artist, Dianna Cohen uses plastic in her artwork to make a visual and social impact around the world. With plastic bags as her primary material for the past 30 years, Cohen explores the material’s relationship to culture, media, toxicity, and the world at large and shared this in her 2010 TED talk “Tough Truths About Plastic Pollution.” Dianna has spoken at the UN and is the recipient of the Global Green Environment Award, the Snow Angel Award, and the Environmentalist of the Year by SIMA, among others. Dianna holds a BA in Fine Arts from UCLA.

Julia Cohen has nearly three decades of experience in leading executive, strategic, communications, fundraising, and outreach efforts for a wide range of government, entertainment, and non-profit groups. She has served in leadership positions including at Environmental Working Group (EWG), MADE SAFE, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), Save The Children’s Youth Noise, Youth Vote Coalition, Planned Parenthood, Rock The Vote, and as a Program Officer, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, U.S. State Department. She serves on the U.S. Movement Support Team for the Break Free from Plastic movement and is the recipient of the Leadership Award from Four Generation of Leaders in Clean Energy & Sustainable Solutions. Julia holds a BA in Modern Society and Social Thought from UC Santa Cruz, and a Master’s in Public Health from UC Berkeley. Image Credit: Nancy Bagley

 
 

 
 

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