Double Trouble: Plastics Found to Emit Potent Greenhouse Gases

Hawai’i University researchers report the unexpected discovery that the most common plastics emit traces of methane and ethylene when exposed to sunlight.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, methane traps heat and warms the planet 86 times more than carbon dioxide over a 20-year horizon. Other sources indicate that methane, although far less prevalent, is a greenhouse gas 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Research led by the University of Reading in the United Kingdom indicates that emissions of methane due to human activity have, to date, caused a warming effect which is about one-third of the warming effect due to carbon dioxide emissions – and 25 per cent higher than previous estimates.

Methane emissions must therefore be addressed as part of the world’s efforts to curb global warming.

The study’s findings should give pause for thought among the hundreds of people expected to attend the Global Climate Action Summit from 12-14 September in San Francisco.

*SOURCE: UN Environment. Go to ORIGINAL.  2018 Human Wrongs Watch