<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/10/australias-annual-plastic-consumption-produces-emissions-equivalent-to-57m-cars-analysis-shows>
"A report commissioned by the Australian Marine Conservation Society and WWF
Australia has found that the plastics consumed nationally in the 2019-20
financial year created 16m tonnes of greenhouse gases.
Quantifying the footprint of the production, transport and waste management of
plastics consumed in Australia, the report projected that these emissions would
more than double to 42.5m tonnes annually by 2050.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society plastics campaign manager, Shane
Cucow, said research into the climate impact of plastics in Australia was
previously limited because 87% of plastic consumed in the country was imported.
Australia generated more single-use plastic waste per capita than any country
except Singapore.
“It really is quite alarming,” Cucow said. “You think that Australia is quite a
small country, but we’re consuming a lot more plastic than others.”
Kate Noble, the policy manager of WWF Australia’s No Plastics in Nature
program, said: “While plastic is not one of the biggest emitters, and the focus
on the biggest emitters is absolutely right, it’s also right that we should
understand what the impact of our growing plastic consumption is in terms of
emissions.”
Recycling did not have as much impact on reducing emissions as experts had
thought. “The conversation over the past 10 years has been really about how we
recycle more,” Noble said. “This research really makes it clear that we are
facing more than a recycling challenge – we’re facing a consumption
challenge.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
