Did You Know? - 2/07/23

Talking Points about Energy, Environment and Climate Change

Curated by Bob Kihslinger

Plastics and Recycling

"The industry has made roughly 11 billion metric tons of plastic since 1950, with half of that produced since 2006. Global plastic production is expected to more than quadruple by 2050."

AP News

"U.S. plastics producers have said they will recycle or recover all plastic packaging used in the United States by 2040, and have already announced more than $7 billion in investments in both mechanical and chemical recycling."

AP News

"According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, only 15% of plastic waste is collected for recycling, and, of that, 40% is discarded from the recycling process on account of its low quality. As a result, actual plastic recycling rates are as low as 9%."

Scientific American

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Waters and Oceans

"Nearly 50,000 large dams worldwide could lose more than a quarter of their storage capacity by 2050".

Reuters

“As sea level rises, coastal groundwater also rises, and so if the groundwater happens to be not that far from the surface, then as sea level rises, it can cause all kinds of trouble.”

The City

"More than 90% of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions is absorbed in the oceans."

Bulletin of Atomic Energy Scientists

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Food and Agriculture

"Three-quarters of crops require pollination but the populations of many insects are in sharp decline. The inadequate pollination that results has caused a 3%-5% loss of fruit, vegetable and nut production"..research shows.

The Guardian

"According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), 31 percent of global food is lost before retail or wasted by retailers and consumers — an amount so high it could feed more than 1 billion people. Europe actually wastes more food than it imports."

Next City

"Consumers order less beef when fast food restaurants disclose climate change impact."

Yahoo News