The research from NGO Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) and Eunomia Research & Consulting found that a business-as-usual approach to plastic production would result in a trajectory of warming towards 3.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
The IPCC’s 2021 Sixth Assessment Report estimated that there is a 67 per cent chance of global warming staying within 1.5°C of pre-industrial levels if cumulative global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions stay below 400 GtCO2e.
But if the significant growth in all global plastic production witnessed historically continues at an annual growth rate of 4 per cent, it will reach 1.6 Gt annually by 2050. With no change from current practices, the report estimates that total annual GHG emissions in 2050 will reach 7 Gt CO2e, with cumulative emissions reaching 129 Gt CO2e. This is 32 per cent of the IPCC’s entire budget for limiting warming to 1.5°C.
Even with aggressive decarbonisation, projections in the study suggest that a trajectory...