Without 'radical action,' the OECD warns this plastic pollution is going to keep piling up and piling up and piling up...
“If we want a world that is free of plastic pollution," says OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann,"we will need to take much more stringent and globally co-ordinated action."A new report out Friday from the OECD warns that the amount of plastic waste worldwide is likely to nearly triple over the next four decades, leaving the world with a terrible fate by 2060 if"radical action" is not taken to curb the level of pollution.
The report lays out projections of future plastic productions and consumption as well as a set of policy scenarios that, if enacted, could drastically reduce the scale of the crisis humanity has created with its over-reliance on cheap plastics derived largely from fossil fuels. "If we want a world that is free of plastic pollution, in line with the ambitions of the United Nations Environment Assembly, we will need to take much more stringent and globally co-ordinated action," Secretary-General Mathias Cormann, who heads the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Globally, plastic leakage to the environment is seen doubling to 44 Mt a year, while the build-up of plastics in lakes, rivers and oceans will more than triple, as plastic waste balloons from 353 Mt in 2019 to 1,014 Mt in 2060. Most pollution comes from larger debris known as macroplastics, but leakage of microplastics from items like industrial plastic pellets, textiles and tyre wear is also a serious concern.
"Identifying synergies between climate and plastics policies can enable countries to get closer to achieving their climate objectives," the report notes,"while also reducing the environmental impacts of plastics."