While plastic dominates human consumption, the global economy will remain hooked on fossil fuels

Tuesday 04 Feb 2025
Alt text coming shortly

There is a tendency to frame plastic as a problem of pollution and recycling, rather than as an integral part of our fossil fuel-driven world . How we think about its production may need to be changed as plastics are petrochemical products: substances which are ultimately derived from oil and gas.

Indeed, the future of fossil fuels is increasingly tied to the future of plastics. It has been estimated that by 2040, plastics will account for as much as 95% of net growth in oil demand.

Read more in The Conversation here