Why did Earth Day choose to prioritise plastics this year?

Every year, Earth Day picks a specific environmental theme to focus on. Why did it select plastics for 2024?

Did you take part in Earth Day this year?

As part of its annual events and activism, this environmental movement places emphasis on a specific theme. In 2024, plastic was the central focus, with Earth Day’s website providing plenty of statistics on the damage and dangers of disposing of our rubbish irresponsibly.

Just how bad is our plastic consumption problem, and what can be done about it? We’ve taken a look at the situation to bring you a quick, easy guide on plastics and our planet. Feeling motivated? Let’s jump in.

Understanding the extent of our plastics problem

We probably aren’t the first to tell you that the world’s plastic problem is bad. It’s so alarming that recent research has found almost all of us ingest microplastics into our bodies regularly. Yikes.

Microplastics have been found in Antarctic sea ice, within guts of marine animals living in the deepest ocean trenches, and in drinking water across the globe. A recent study estimated that 24.4 trillion fragments of microplastics are in the upper regions of Earth’s oceans.

According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), we produce 400 million tons of plastic waste each year, and about a third of all plastic produced is used for food and beverage packaging. 85% of this packaging is virgin plastic, made with fossil fuels.

 

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In 1997, the first Great Garbage Patch was discovered between California and Hawaii. We’ve written about it before, detailing just how big this patch has gotten. It’s so vast, in fact, that it now boasts its own ecosystem.

While plastic production, conversion, and waste management only generates about 4% of total greenhouse gas emissions currently, it seems unlikely that recycled or secondary plastics will overtake our dependency on virgin plastics in the long-term future.

According to research by OECD, secondary plastics are expected to only account for 12% of total plastics use by 2060, based on current global policies. That means we’re not likely to change our plastic use much at all, unless we make significant changes across the globe.

 

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