The problem with plastics -- and how they're changing the environment | Patricia Villarrubia-Gómez

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4.1 • 11.9K Ratings

🗓️ 16 August 2022

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Plastics are everywhere -- they're in our favorite electronic devices, they package our food and insulate our homes. Today, the total mass of plastic is twice the total mass of all living organisms on the planet, and it's starting to change the processes that allow the Earth's climate system to work. Plastic pollution researcher Patricia Villarrubia-Gómez breaks down the consequences of producing all of this plastic at every stage, from fossil fuel extraction to the disposal of single-use plastics in landfills and oceans. The first step to breaking free of our plastic problem is admitting we have one.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Elise Hugh, you're listening to Ted Talks Daily.
0:07.2	The way we think about plastic pollution needs a new perspective.
0:11.4	That's the message from Patricia Villarubia Gomez, an activist and plastic pollution researcher.
0:18.6	In her 2022 talk from Ted Countdown's New York Session, she busts the myths about plastic
0:23.5	in the oceans, unpacks why they're harmful from before the moment they're produced,
0:29.2	and suggests what we can do about it for a sustainable planet.
0:33.4	There's another podcast you might enjoy.
0:37.5	Is it too late to avert the climate crisis?
0:40.6	How is our fossil fuel usage impacting everyday life?
0:43.9	These questions may seem scary, but former UN Chief Cristiana Figueraz believes there's
0:48.4	hope.
0:49.4	In her podcast Outrage and Optimism, she and her co-hosts will break down the latest
0:53.4	climate news, introduce you to the incredible activists making a difference, and maybe
0:58.0	inspire you to play your part in averting climate change.
1:01.3	Find Outrage and Optimism wherever you get your podcasts.
1:06.0	So plastics, plastics come in all shapes, forms and colors.
1:12.2	They are everywhere.
1:13.2	They are in our makeup, it packages our food, and insulates our homes.
1:18.5	They are in airplanes and our favorite electronic devices.
1:22.7	They are truly a remarkable material.
1:26.4	But so are its troubles.
1:28.6	And we produce and consume plastics in staggering quantities.
	...

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