Interlinkages Among Plastics, Chemicals, and Climate Change: Harm to Health and Environment Across the Full Lifecycle from Extraction to Disposal
Plastics are often treated as just a waste problem; however they are fundamentally a toxic chemical and climate problem. Derived from fossil fuels, plastics contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and toxic chemical releases at every stage of their life cycle, from extraction and production to use, disposal, and degradation.
This CHE-AK webinar will explore the deep interconnections among plastics, chemicals, and climate change, with a specific focus on health concerns and the Arctic. The Arctic is uniquely positioned as both a source of petrochemical extraction and a hemispheric sink where chemicals, plastics and microplastics accumulate, carried by global air and ocean currents. Plastics, chemicals, and climate warming threaten fragile ecosystems, food security, and the health and human rights of Indigenous Peoples of the north, as well as globally.
Our speakers will examine the full life cycle of plastics – the role of fossil fuel expansion in plastic production, and why the Arctic is on the frontlines of this crisis – incorporating a Just Transition perspective, focusing on what it will take to move away from plastic dependence while protecting workers, communities, and Indigenous rights, and building healthier, more sustainable systems for the future.
Featured speakers
Dr. Leonardo Trasande, MD, MPP, is a physician-scientist and professor at NYU, where he directs the Division of Environmental Pediatrics. His research focuses on how environmental chemicals—particularly endocrine disruptors—affect child and public health, and on estimating the economic costs of these exposures to inform policy. He has led major NIH-funded studies and is a nationally recognized expert in environmental health and prevention.
Rosemary Ahtuangaruak is an Inupiaq teacher, grandmother, mother, tribal leader, and the former Mayor for the Village of Nuiqsut. She stands for the life, health, safety, and the importance of tradition and culture for the people and animals living in the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska (NPRA). Ahtuangaruak is also the founder of the non-profit, Grandmothers Growing Goodness which actively advocates for protections and environmental justice in the NPRA.