Breaking free from plastic pollution: a plan
Here's a fact that's right at the heart of pollution and climate chaos:
According to National Geographic, about 8 million tons of plastic garbage goes into the ocean every year — plastic that can take as long as 400 years to break down.
And it's not just in the ocean — it's in us. We ingest a credit card's worth of microplastics through our food, water, and air each week. Each week! And let's not forget that plastic is full of toxic chemicals like endocrine disrupters that do bad stuff inside our bodies.
Over the coming decades, it's expected that plastic production's going to increase significantly. Even worse, more than 99% of our world's plastics are made from fossil fuels.
Put together, that poses a big challenge to ending our dependence on fossil fuels, and to stopping the ever-increasing plastics pollution that threatens our health and environment.
This issue is critical to me, but also to so many progressive activists who have fought long and hard to build a greener, more sustainable world for future generations.
I recently joined my friend, Representative Alan Lowenthal, to introduce the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act in both chambers of Congress. We're committed to doing everything we can to address a situation that is literally a ticking time bomb for our planet.
Jeff
