Accomplishments
The first stage of our work resulted in the following:
Peer-reviewed paper - We examined close to 6,400 scientific papers, analyzed the findings, identified the data gaps, developed a research agenda to address the gaps, and recommended policies and actions. Frontiers in Environmental Science published our peer-reviewed paper, “The knowns and unknowns in our understanding of how plastics impact climate change: a systematic review.”
Summary report - With co-authors at Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), and the University of Wollongong, Australia, we published a summary of our peer-reviewed paper for non-technical audiences, "Plastics: Exposing their climate impacts - what we know, what we need to know, & recommendations for research and policy."
Literature Hub - The Hub is a free, ongoing repository of papers, reports, and articles on plastics and climate for researchers and anyone interested in the topic.
Communications & Outreach - We have shared our findings and elevated the issue of the uncounted climate impacts of plastics through speaking engagements, webinars, interviews, articles, and social media tailored to key audiences, including at the John's Hopkins Science & Diplomacy Summit, UN World Environment Day in Korea, the Sun Valley Forum, Harvard University’s Sustainability & Global Development Graduate Program, the Upstream’s Reuse Solutions Network, and Beyond Plastics’ reporter briefing, among many others.
Science & Policy Influence - One of our greatest successes is that the IPCC plans to include our work in its forthcoming assessment report. (IPCC assessment reports are the UN’s comprehensive, periodic evaluation of climate change science and impacts.) We have also influenced delegates at the UN COP30 climate treaty negotiations, and collaborated with colleagues to ensure that the plastics & petrochemicals sector was included in the first International Conference Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels (TAFF1). We also contributed strategic recommendations to the Government of Spain’s circular economy policies and actions.