Since 1973, we have celebrated World Environment Day on 5 June, an event proclaimed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with the aim of promoting environmental awareness, stimulating action in favour of the environment and ultimately highlighting the importance of environmental protection. This year, 2023, under the theme “No plastic pollution“, the aim is to raise awareness of the need to implement solutions to avoid the harmful effects of this waste on the natural environment.
According to UNEP’s Practical Guide to a Plastic-Free Planet, more than 400 million tons of plastic are produced globally each year, half of which are designed for a single-use life. Worldwide, 46% of plastic waste is landfilled, 22% is mismanaged as uncollected waste, 17% is incinerated, and less than 9% is recycled.
Thus, this type of pollution can seriously threaten ecosystems and wildlife, human health and well-being, the global economy and aggravate the effects of climate change.
The document highlights that plastic waste causes damage to ecosystems and human health at a cost of between $300 billion and $600 billion per year.
This threat also has serious effects on biodiversity. UNEP reports that between 19 and 23 million tons of plastic waste leach into aquatic ecosystems annually, affecting a wide range of organisms in seas, rivers and on land. Plastic can negatively influence the development of aquatic life as it impedes the reception of oxygen and light. Also, according to these data, marine debris harms more than 800 species and it is estimated that more than 90 % of all birds and fish have plastic particles in their stomachs. The effects of microplastic ingestion pose a danger to the growth of some species and the decompensation of their digestive system. In addition, they can accumulate in the soil due to their use in agricultural products.
Some of the chemicals in microplastics are also associated with serious health impacts.
serious impacts on people’s health
of people as they can enter the body by inhalation and absorption through the skin and accumulate in the organs. In this regard, the relationship between exposure to chemical additives leaching from plastics and some autoimmune diseases is currently being studied. In addition, the burning or incineration of plastic waste has multiple adverse health effects, including increased risk of heart disease and aggravation of respiratory problems such as asthma and emphysema.
On the other hand, plastic production is one of the most energy-intensive manufacturing processes in the world, which poses a challenge to meeting the Paris Agreement ‘s goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C. According to UNEP, in 2019 plastic generated 1.8 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases, 3.4% of the global total. In addition, 90 % of these emissions came from plastic production and fossil fuel conversion. The organization also points out that most plastics originate from fossil fuels and the plastics industry accounts for 6% of global oil consumption. As a result, it is projected that the level of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production, use and disposal of conventional fossil fuel-based plastics could increase to 19% of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.
According to United Nations data, plastic production has skyrocketed in the last 50 years and is expected to double in the next 20 years, a problem that could worsen if effective measures are not taken, as plastic pollution is expected to triple by 2060. Given this, it is important to promote the transition to a healthier and economically viable circular economy, which allows mitigating and reversing these effects, and to address this current great challenge to conserve the planet among all sectors of society.
