Pollution 1.01: A Plastic World.

LaFeminista

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday November 27, 2025 · 4:41 AM PST

2025/11/27 · 04:41

To give an idea.

Global Plastic Usage: 60kg per person on average = 492 million tonnes/year. [2024 figures]

Half the plastics ever produced have been made in the last 25 years, and production is increasing every year.

Note: The US annually produces 220kg of plastic waste per person

See: Plastic waste in the U.S. - statistics & facts

See: Plastics are everywhere

Recycling [2024 figures]

Around 9% of plastics ever produced have been recycled.

Around 12% have been incinerated.

The remainder are still in use or in landfills, and the environment in general.

See: Centre for International Environmental Law

Annual CO₂ from production.

Annually, CO₂ [2019] 1.8 billion tonnes.

This is expected to triple by 2060.

66% of which is for single-use or limited-use.

At least 22% will end up living free and easy in the environment.

Toxic byproducts of plastic production.

99% of plastics are produced from Fossil Fuels.

See: Deep Dive into Plastic Monomers, Additives, and Processing Aids

Dioxins can be released during the incineration of plastics.

See: Dioxins and plastic waste: A scientometric analysis and systematic literature review of the detection methods

See: Microplastics and PFAS – combined risk and greater environmental harm.

Note: The links I have used are to well-known safe sites. You can ask if in doubt.

To avoid overload, I’ll stop here.

A Morning Muse

Previous diary Pollution 1.00: Meet The Nurdles.

Next Diary: Pollution 1.02: Reduce the Need.

Note: This series does not only deal with Plastics.

I can't take US politics at this point; I only get the effects second-hand as an expat.

Pollution 1.00: Meet The Nurdles.

LaFeminista

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday November 26, 2025 · 4:16 AM PST

2025/11/26 · 04:16

A Basic Guide

What is a Nurdle?

It is a very small pellet [typically lentil-sized] of plastic that serves as raw material in the manufacture of plastic products, often occurring as a pollutant on beaches and in the sea.

How many escape every year?

An approximate estimate of 500,000 tonnes per year.

1 Nurdle weighs around 20mg.

1 tonne = 1000kg

1 kilogram = 1000g

1 gram = 1000mg

Now you know, Ok, I’ll help

;-)

The number liberated equals 500,000*1000*1000*(1000/20) = 25trillion.

Or per person, roughly 3,000/year for every man, woman, and child [8,2 billion] on earth.

Ok, that reduces it to an understandable number. [or approx 6g/person]

Remember, this is before any recycling you may or may not do.

Biologically speaking, they are pretty significant and should pass right on through.

Where are they?

Since they are small, light, and float pretty much everywhere.

What's the problem?

They are generally not biodegradable and very persistent.

They break down into microplastics under the influence of UV light, oxygen, wind, and wave action.

They are the second-largest source of microplastics, hence they can now enter every living thing and environment on earth.

Not all nurdles are made from non-toxic plastic [even if they are from initially non-toxic polymers].

The Major source of Nurdles?

Poor handling and transport, waste, and accidents.

Regulations for the handling of nurdles?

Full of holes where they even exist [the EU]. Some guidelines and some thoughts towards an international guideline.

So now you have met the Nurdles, if you did not already. Lovely, ain't they?

Further information can be found:

THE GREAT NURDLE HUNT THE GREAT NURDLE HUNT TACKLING WORLDWIDE NURDLE POLLUTION

Plastic nurdles found at 84% of UK sites of special scientific interest — The Guardian

A Morning Muse

Plastic Pollution

A Fight We Cannot Lose—the +1.5°C Limit—the last chance saloon.

LaFeminista

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday November 24, 2025 · 2:01 AM PST

2025/11/24 · 02:01

Graphic: Major Greenhouse Gas Sources, Lifespans, and Possible Added Heat - Source NASA.

It is a fight, and yes, we are currently losing it; the fossil fuel proponents and lobbyists are steering us towards disaster.

The cost is in lives. Is anyone being held responsible? This is a low-side initial estimate:

Climate change-driven summer heat caused 16,500 additional deaths across Europe, study estimates- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Climate change intensified Europe’s summer heat in 2025 and drove an estimated 16,500 additional deaths across 854 cities, according to a new study led by researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Imperial College London.

The rapid analysis found that climate change was responsible for around 68% of the 24,400 estimated heat-related deaths this summer. Warmer conditions, amplified by human-driven climate change, increased daily temperatures by an average of 2.2°C, with peaks of up to 3.6°C.

The report highlights how even small increases in temperature can result in thousands of avoidable deaths – with older adults particularly vulnerable. People aged 65 and over made up 85% of the estimated deaths.

The study covered cities representing about 30% of Europe’s population, meaning the true death toll is likely to be far higher. Heat-related deaths are often undercounted, as many result from underlying health conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease, with heat rarely recorded as a contributing cause.

+ Bolding Mine

Global excess deaths associated with heatwaves in 2023 and the contribution of human-induced climate change: Science Direct

Public summary

Over 178,000 global deaths associated with the 2023 heatwave, equivalent to 23 deaths per million

Southern and Eastern Europe had the highest heatwave-related mortality burden.

Heatwave-related deaths were concentrated in subtropical and temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere.

More than half (54.29%) of heatwave-related deaths were attributable to human-induced climate change.

There is no vaccine; however, there is a cure.

As for COP30

Trump, war, absent media: five threats to climate progress that dogged Cop30: The Guardian

Cop30 in Belém wrapped up on Saturday night more than 24 hours later than planned, and with an Amazonian rainstorm thundering down on the conference centre. The UN structure just about held, as it has done these past three weeks despite fire, savage tropical heat and blistering political attacks on the multilateral system of global environmental governance.

Dozens of agreements were gavelled through on the final day, as the most collective form of humanity worked to resolve the most complex and dangerous challenge that our species has ever faced. It was chaotic. The process very nearly collapsed and had to be rescued by last-ditch talks that went on into the early morning. Veteran observers told me the Paris agreement was on life-support.

But it survived. For now at least. The outcome was not nearly enough to limit global heating to 1.5C. There was a considerable shortfall in the finance needed for adaptation by the countries worst affected by extreme weather. The importance of rainforest protection barely got a mention even though this was the first climate summit in the Amazon. And the power balance in the world is still so skewed towards gas, oil and coal interests that there was not even a single mention of “fossil fuels” in the main agreement.

Once again, when will historic and current fossil fuel producers and users be held responsible/accountable?

As for the +1.5°C Limit.

The world is likely to exceed a key global warming target soon. Now what? : UNEP

Expected but sobering.

That is how experts are describing the findings of a new United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report that says that global temperatures are on track to exceed the most ambitious end of the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement.

Modeling from UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report 2025, released on Tuesday, found that within the next decade, global temperatures will likely exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Climate advocates had long hoped that it would be decades, if ever, before the 1.5°C threshold was breached. Keeping the global average temperature below that level is considered crucial for avoiding some of the worst effects of climate change.

“Despite all the warnings, the world has continued to emit greenhouse gasses at record levels, so this conclusion wasn’t unexpected,” said Martin Krause, Director of UNEP’s Climate Change Division. “But it should be a wakeup call to everyone. Climate change is real, it’s happening and unless we do something about it soon, the consequences will be severe.”

How did the world get here and what does overshooting 1.5°C mean for humanity? Let’s dive into the Emissions Gap Report to answer those and other questions.

If we continue along our merry way, expect a rise of +2.7 to 3.0°C.

From those well-known ecoterrorists: The Economist

YouTube Video

The +1.5°C Limit does not mean there will be no excess deaths, but they will be somewhat limited.

I know TLDR, but there is no plan B.

We might be in the last chance saloon.

A Morning Muse

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