This Earth Day, Choose the Planet Over Plastics

In honor of Earth Day on April 22, the Climate School has a variety of great events and stories lined up throughout the entire month of April. Find out more here. 

Since 1970, every April 22 has served as a salient reminder of the urgent need for greater environmental awareness and climate action. This year’s Earth Day—with the theme of Planet vs. Plastics—is no different, setting a lofty goal of ending plastic consumption and demanding a 60% reduction in all plastics production by 2040.

Currently, we generate about 400 million metric tons of plastic waste every year worldwide —roughly the collective weight of the human population—according to the United Nations Environment Programme. Nearly 36% of this plastic is used in packaging, including single-use products for food and beverage containers, and about 85% ends up in landfills.

And these alarming numbers continue to grow, with production predicted to reach a staggering 1,100 million metric tons by 2050, absent any sort of intervention.

At State of the Planet, we’ve spent years covering the fight against plastic pollution and the search for solutions to safeguard a healthier and more sustainable future. Take a look at some of our stories below and keep reading State of the Planet for ongoing coverage this Earth Month and year-round.

• Bottled Water Can Contain Hundreds of Thousands of Previously Uncounted Tiny Plastic Bits, Study Finds: In a groundbreaking new study, researchers found that bottled water contained 10 to 100 times more tiny plastic particles than we previously assumed.

• How Do We Clean Up All That Ocean Plastic?: With the growing number of plastics polluting our oceans, many organizations are attempting to clean up the water, but solving this problem will also require big changes on land.

• More Plastic Is On the Way: What It Means for Climate Change: Fossil fuel companies are ramping up production of plastics, with huge potential consequences for the climate and our environment.

• Reduce. Reuse. And Then, When All Else Fails, Recycle: Recycling gets all the attention, but emphasizing reduction and reuse can do so much more to manage waste and curb climate emissions.

• Now’s the Time For Lawmakers to Care About Microplastics: Regulating these tiny, ubiquitous bits of plastic will not only address a public health threat, but also our dependence on fossil fuels.  

• The Truth About Bioplastics: While considered more eco-friendly than traditional plastic, bioplastics still have considerable negative impact on the environment.