Plastic has a number of impacts on climate change among them release of greenhouse gas emissions including methane associated with the plastic lifecycle. Ozone-depleting substances and hydrofluorocarbons used as feedstocks to manufacture plastics is other impact on the ozone layer and the climate. Besides, the light-absorbing ability of microplastics enhances cryospheric melting, while plastic pollution threatens the global carbon cycle disturbing the ocean’s biological carbon pump.
The goal of this report is to provide recommendations for how to strengthen plastics governance and climate action at the national and global levels by informing about the links between plastic and climate change. The report will enrich decision-making processes by presenting the latest scientific evidence in an easily accessible and digestible format, which will be relevant in the process of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution as well as the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on a Science-Policy Panel to Contribute Further to the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste and to Prevent Pollution.
As part of this process an Expert Group the Impacts of Plastic on Climate Change was established to provide advice and inputs on the issues related to global plastic governance and climate change.
