Plastic Pandemic
Climate ChangeWhen we think of the cause of climate change, many come up with the use of fossil fuels. It is true that this is the number one cause, but another factor we easily neglect is the use of plastic. According to a research from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences(PNAS), 8.4 million tons of plastic waste was additionally generated due to Covid-19. This includes medical waste in hospitals, Covid test kits, and quarantine items such as masks and gloves. But we also have to consider increased use of single-use items made out of plastic.
Living in Korea, I would have to admit that I also created substantial amounts of plastic waste. In Korea, food delivery services were a big business, and got even bigger after the pandemic. Since people spent more time staying at home, most got tired of cooking all the time. Many delivery services that connect the restaurant and consumers got popular. Basically, you can deliver food from any restaurant near your house, even from tiny restaurants. This makes our lives more convenient, but definitely not a happy news to the environment.
So what is the problem of plastic waste? Plastic is closely related to carbon from its production to its disposal. Most of the plastic resin is obtained through extraction and distillation of petroleum. It is estimated that 8-10% of petroleum is used in plastic production. In the next step plastic resins are processed into products and transported to the market, which emits greenhouse gases. We usually believe that plastic we throw away can be well recycled, but in fact it is not. Only 9 percent is recycled due to its high cost and low commercial value. The rest is simply dumped into the earth. When they are incinerated and composted, a lot of poisonous chemicals are released. One example of a harmful gas is black carbon, which has a 5000 times greater effect on climate change than carbon dioxide.
The relation between plastic use and climate change is not one-direction; it creates a feedback loop. As the temperature rises, the plastic breaks down into more methane and ethylene, accelerating the cycle. Also, global warming leads to the melt of glaciers which kept the micro plastics. When these plastics are released into the ocean, the plankton’s ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is affected, adding to the cycle.
As plastic use and climate change is intimately connected, we should know that this effect will eventually come to us. In the process of burning plastics, air is severely polluted which damages our health. Climate change itself is also affecting our daily lives. Telling people to recycle is no longer a good solution. It is time to set a specific goal to limit the production of plastic, and switch to using reusable materials.