Explained | The connection between Plastic & Climate Change and the Indian situation

Plastic pollution is not an unheard thing but what has become more apparent over the recent years is its growing connection with Climate Change. This has emerged as a cause of concern at a time when the world is facing extreme weather events because of climate change. The impact of plastic production and disposal on climate change is an area that needs more attention. 

According to a recent study by the Stockholm Resilience Centre, global production of plastic increased by 79 per cent between 2000 and 2015. The study reveals that the total mass of plastics on our planet is now equal to twice the mass of all living mammals which is quite alarming. It also states that approximately 80 percent of all the plastics produced continue to remain in the environment. 

A research paper published in Nature Climate Change states that plastic production has quadrupled over the last four decades and if this trend were to continue, the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from plastics alone would reach 15 percent of the global carbon budget by 2050. If the plastic industry were a country, it would be the fifth largest greenhouse gas emitter on Earth, the study also reveals. 

The plastic situation in India and its connection with Fossil Fuels 

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based think-tank, released an India-specific report on the plastic situation titled ‘The Plastic Life-cycle’ on November 22. The report was released by the Secretary, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.

The report stated it is wrong to consider plastic as just a waste management problem and actually it is a material production problem. It said that unless we take into consideration the entire life cycle of plastic, from source to disposal, as the root cause of the pollution it causes, it will be not possible for the problem to be solved. 

The report highlighted the fact that around 99% of plastic in India are derived from crude oil and 85% of this crude oil is actually imported into the country. 

A mind-boggling 67% of the entire production capacity of the country is currently being utilized to manufacture polymers which are commonly known as plastics. 

Around 40% of the production of petrochemicals is currently being used for packaging applications.

Some 60% of the plastic consumed in India is used for packaging applications, which is alarmingly single-use plastic.

Highlighting the reality of the recyclable plastic industry in India, the report stated that only a third of the packaging formats are recyclable in nature, and the remaining two-thirds are flexible, the majority of which are non-recyclable in nature and need to be co-incinerated in specialized facilities.

The report also stated that although a handful of businesses have revealed their plastic footprint, there is no mechanism to validate this self-declared plastic usage which is another cause of concern. 

Plastic’s contribution to Climate Change

Plastics are a threat to the global community and hinder keeping global temperature rise below 1.5°C. This is because greenhouse gasses are emitted throughout the life cycle of plastic. Also, extraction, refining, and manufacturing of plastic products are activities that are carbon intensive. During the disposal stage, plastic waste when incinerated releases high amounts of GHG into the atmosphere, along with toxic pollutants. Other disposal methods like recycling also have a share in GHG emissions.

The rapid growth of the plastic industry globally is largely driven by natural gas, undermining efforts to reduce carbon pollution and prevent a climate-related disaster.

Estimates by the Centre for International Environmental Law indicate that GHG emissions from plastics could reach about 13% of the entire remaining carbon budget by 2050. Plastic in the ocean and other water bodies, interferes with the water body’s capacity to absorb and sequester carbon dioxide, thus creating another pathway through which plastic pollution contributes to accelerating climate change. Ecosystems, such as ocean and mountain areas, are particularly vulnerable to both climate change and plastic pollution, and the combination of both is a significant stress factor on its biodiversity.

The life cycle of Plastic and why do we need to understand this?

Plastics have become a part of our lives, lifestyles, and our environment over the years. To address this insurmountable problem there is a need to clearly understand the life cycle of plastic. 

The landscape of the plastic industry commenced with the extraction of fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal), These are then refined to make intermediate chemicals. Once formed, these intermediate chemicals are further refined and processed to get different polymers. These polymers are then sold by petrochemical companies to producers who connect with the end users. These end users could be brand owners, retailers, or consumers. Following this, the plastic then reaches households as a finished plastic product. It reaches by going through a complex logistics system. 

Usually, it comes as packaging material for products. Post-consumption of products that were packed in plastic, this plastic leaves cities and human settlements as waste and ends up as municipal waste. Many informal sectors work on recycling and giving it a second life. Although, a lot of plastic remains non-recycled for dumping or burning.

Despite an estimated informal workforce of over 2.2 million in India, at least 25,940 tonnes of plastic waste eventually finds its way every day to the country’s 3,1595 dumpsites. Once dumped, a vast sum of taxpayers’ money is spent on its bio-mining and recovery from the mountains of garbage and also in its transport to the dump site.

More Plastic means more Fossil Fuel usage 

Almost every other plastic that we consume daily is derived from the petroleum and petrochemical industries. 99 percent of the plastics of daily use are sourced from chemicals that come from fossil fuels. Plastic is a petrochemical made from fossil fuels.

In 2020-21, over 84 percent of India’s petroleum (crude oil) demand was met through imports. This crude oil is refined to get naphtha, which is then subjected to a process of ‘cracking’ to get building blocks (monomers like ethylene, propylene, styrene etc). These building blocks are processed with intermediate chemicals to make the basic petrochemical, which is then converted into the final product – this final product can range from plastics to detergents to chemical fertilizers.

Plastics account for more than 67 percent of the total petrochemicals produced globally. This production of polymers is increasing with time. Plastic production in India has gone up by 2.6 times, along with a four-fold rise in its imports between 2005 and 2020. 

The data by CSE shows that linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) has recorded the highest increase in production percentage at 334.5 percent, while the highest increase in consumption has been recorded by polypropylene (PP) at 276 percent. The average increase in polymer production between 2005-06 and 2019-20 has been recorded at 160 percent – shows an analysis by CSE – while the average increase in polymer consumption in the same period has been recorded at 196 percent.

Source: Statistics at a glance, 2013-2019, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (DCPC)

The graph shows the Imports and exports of polymers in India.

What is the need of the hour?

With the impetus to renewable energy in a world where climate change concerns are gaining momentum, yet there is no lesser demand for crude oil. Crude oil production is set to witness an increase – not to produce fossil fuels, but to manufacture more polymers. 

In March 2022, The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) endorsed a historic resolution on plastic pollution, one that is legally binding and covers the entire life cycle of plastic – from extraction to ‘end-of-life disposal’. At the country level, India needs to plan and deal with issues related to the collection, management, diversion, and disposal of plastic waste.

(with inputs from Aayushi Sharma)