The U.S. is the Number One Source of Plastic in the World

• NPG
• December 9, 2020
• NPG Commentary
• 3 Comments

December 15, 2020

The U.S. is the Number One Source of Plastic in the World

A Look at How Humans Can Help Reduce Use of Plastics

On Wednesday, December 2, 2020, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the natural world’s current dismal state and placed the responsibility squarely on humanity’s shoulders. In a speech, delivered at Columbia University in New York, Guterres laid everything on the table, saying: “Oceans are overfished – and choking with plastic waste. The carbon dioxide they absorb is acidifying the seas. Coral reefs are bleaching and dying. Air and water pollution are killing 9 million people annually – more than six times the current toll of the pandemic. And, with people and livestock encroaching further into animal habitats and disrupting wild spaces, we could see more viruses and other disease-causing agents jump from animals to humans.”

Guterres’ comments come a month after a study determined the U.S. is the world’s number one source of plastic waste. An article published by Smithsonian Magazine reported that “While China remains the world’s largest producer of plastic, the researchers find that in 2016 the U.S. was the world’s number one source of plastic waste.”

Nick Mallos, a conservation biologist, specializing in ocean debris at the Ocean Conservancy and co-author of the new research, spoke plainly on the issue, saying: “Plastic pollution globally is at crisis level. Most problematic is that…for more than 30 years, the U.S. outsourced our waste problem to developing countries.”

This study used data from 2016, the most recent year for which data was available. Further complicating where we stand today, in 2020, was China’s 2018 announcement that it would no longer buy U.S. plastic scraps. The article goes on to say: “Many other countries in Southeast Asia have followed suit and lower oil prices have also softened the market for recycled plastics.” Mallos then notes the best way for humans to move forward: “What the new study really underscores is we have to get a handle on source reduction at home. That starts with eliminating unnecessary and problematic single-use plastics.”

When Guterres ended his speech, he put into words what everyone needs to hear, first that we (humans) are the problem, and second, how to move forward, saying: “Let’s be clear: human activities are at the root of our descent toward chaos. But that means human action can help solve it. Making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21^st century. It must be the top, top priority for everyone, everywhere.” NPG believes protecting the environment is paramount and along with a conscious decision to reduce the use of single-use plastics, working to slow, halt, and eventually reverse population growth would also contribute to a better future for generations to come.

To read more about the environment and other population issues, please see our Forum paper series, notably:

Climate Change, Migration and National Security, by Edwin S. Rubenstein

The True Environmental Disaster – The Silence on Our Growing Overpopulation, by Michael G. Hanauer

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3 Comments to “The U.S. is the Number One Source of Plastic in the World”

• Nelson Chick

  December 15, 2020

  Humanity is a cancer for this planet.

• Greeley Miklashek, MD

  December 15, 2020

  Plastics are the products of oil, the fossil fuel industry, and the chemical industry. Like Nancy, I prefer to return as much as possible to the pre-plastic era, wrap the minimal amount of free range, organic meat I purchase in “butchers'” paper, avoid single use plastic totally, and follow the Sierra Clubs well established mantra: the 3 R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle. Remember Paul Ehrlich’s simple equation for environmental impact: I=PAT, although I add an “H” for the mountains of health “PPE” and other health related waste, so I=PATH. Most importantly of all, of course, is human overpopulation and over-consumption. So, don’t have another (any?) child. We are surely guilty of despoiling the Garden of Eden and our children are and will pay ever greater prices for our short-sightedness. So sad that Guterres and the short-sighted UN does not even mention the real problem: too many humans using too many natural resources and producing too much pollution.

• Nancy

  December 15, 2020

  First off you can start by eliminating plastic milk, water, and soda bottles. In the early 1900s glass was used to hold these liquids. We should go back to them. I survived using a glass baby bottle, milk bottles and soda bottles. There really wasn’t a need for water bottles back then. A garden hose worked.