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circa 2100: "Wait, so you're telling me they just burned it?! The same stuff we need to make plastics?!"
by whitepoplar 8y ago
circa 2100: "Wait, so you're telling me they just burned it?! The same stuff we need to make plastics?!"
- ars 8y ago> The same stuff we need to make plastics? You don't need oil to make plastic. You can make plastic out of air. The atoms needed for virtually all plastics are just Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, and sometimes chlorine. You can get every single one of those out of air, and maybe seawater. The only reason we usually use oil is because of the energy embodied in it, which is needed to make plastic. If you had an alternative source of energy it's quite easy to make plastic out of lots of other things.
- lisper 8y agoIt is far from clear that turning oil into plastic is any less damaging in the long run than burning it. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/09/recycling-plastic-crisis-oceans-pollution-corporate-responsibility https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/09/recycl...
- whitepoplar 8y agoPlastics can certainly be damaging, but they have many uses for which there are no substitutes. We have substitutes for energy production.
- erikpukinskis 8y agoYou’re assuming the plastic is thrown away. There’s no reason properly built plastic tools shouldn’t last approximately forever. (Obviously nothing lasts forever but correctly formulated and molded plastics are extremely durable)