Report: Plastics industry will release more GHGs than coal plants in the US by 2030
October 24, 2021 | Green Car Congress
Plastics are on track to contribute more greenhouse gas emissions than coal plants in the US by 2030, according to new report by Beyond Plastics, a nationwide project based at Bennington College in Vermont.
The New Coal: Plastics and Climate Change analyzes data from ten stages of plastics production, usage, and disposal and finds that the US plastics industry is releasing at least 232 million tons of greenhouse gases each year—the equivalent of 116 average-sized coal-fired power plants.
The US plastics industry reported releasing 114 million tons of greenhouse gases nationwide in 2020; an increase of 10 million tons over 2019. Construction is currently underway on another 12 plastics facilities, and 15 more are planned. Altogether these expansions may emit more than 40 million more tons of greenhouse gases annually by 2025.
However, what the industry reports is less than half of what it actually releases, according to the analysis by Material Research. The Maine-based firm examined data from federal agencies including the US Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Commerce, and Department of Energy, and found a severe undercounting of plastics’ climate impacts.
In addition to the 114 million tons of greenhouse gases the industry reported releasing in 2020, Material Research identified another 118 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions from other stages—the equivalent of more carbon dioxide than that of 59 average-sized coal-fired power plants.