1. Plastics
- Plastics Europe plasticseurope.org the plastics trade association in Europe
- Plastics Information Europe pieweb.plasteurope.com
- The Eleven Most Important Types of Plastic www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/eleven-most-important-plastics
- Everything You Need to Know about Polylactic Acid [PLA] www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/learn-about-polylactic-acid-pla-prototypes
- Everything You Need to Know About Polypropylene Plastic (PP) www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/all-about-polypropylene-pp-plastic
- Everything You Need to Know About ABS Plastic www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-abs-plastic
- Everything You Need to Know About PVC Plastic www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-pvc-plastic
- Everything You Need to Know About the World’s Most Useful Plastic (PET and Polyester) www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/everything-about-polyethylene-terephthalate-pet-polyester
- Everything You Need to Know about Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-pha-polyhydroxyalkanoates
- The Discovery of Nylon edu.rsc.org/download?ac=11184
- Polyurethanes www.polyurethanes.org/en & www.madehow.com/Volume-6/Polyurethane.html
- Toluene https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toluene produced as a by-product from styrene manufacturing and from coke-oven operations
- Toluene di-isocyanate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toluene_diisocyanate
- A range of resources on different plastics www.xometry.com/resources/materials
- Statista : www.statista.com/statistics/281126/global-plastics-production-share-of-various-countries-and-regions
- Plastic manufacturing by country – fun facts dolphinplastics.com.au/blog/plastic-manufacturing-country-fun-facts
- Top 100 Polymer Producers (2021) www.minderoo.org/plastic-waste-makers-index/pwmi-2021/data/indices/producers
- Marcos, J. & Marcos, J. (2017) Modelling of Naphtha Cracking for Olefins Production; www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Modelling-of-Naphtha-Cracking-for-Olefins-Marcos-Marcos/6d77b3af5c11b88c97c8c910b82628cab7885abd
2. Global controls
- UNEA (2019) Resolution 4/9 addressing single use plastic pollution wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/28473/English.pdf
- UNEA (2019) Resolution 4/6 addressing marine plastic litter and microplastics wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/28471/English.pdf
- IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (2019) ipbes.net/sites/default/files/downloads/spm_unedited_advance_for_posting_htn.pdf
- UNFCCC (2021) Sea Change. Oceans and Coastal Zones unfccc.int/blog/plastic-promise
- UN (2022) Fifth Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Nairobi. www.unep.org/environmentassembly/unea5
- Approximately 7 billion of the 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic produced from 1950-2017 became plastic waste, ending up in landfills or dumped.
- Includes the Resolution adopted by the United Nations Environment Assembly on 2 March 2022 (in Nairobi).
- Includes the Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution Toolkit leap.unep.org/knowledge/toolkits/plastic
- UNEP (2022) The first session of the INC to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. Punta del Este, Uruguay www.unep.org/events/conference/inter-governmental-negotiating-committee-meeting-inc-1. Inaugural meeting towards a legally binding instrument.
- UNEP (2022) Draft decision on the draft provisional agenda of the second session of the intergovernmental negotiating committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/41338/ProvisionalAgendaINC2E.pdf
- UNFCCC (2022) Plastic Promise? Oceans and Coastal Zones unfccc.int/blog/sea-change-0
- OECD (2022) Global Plastics Outlook: economic drivers, environmental impacts and policy options. www.oecd-ilibrary.org/environment/global-plastics-outlook_de747aef-en
3. Science
- UNEP (2022) Plastics Science UNEP/PP/INC.1/7 wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/41263/Plastic_Science_E.pdf
- Ford, H.V. et al (2022) The fundamental links between climate change and marine plastic pollution. Science of the Total Environment . 806 (1) doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150392
4. Impact
- Zheng, J. & Suh, S. (2019) Strategies to reduce the global carbon footprint of plastics. Nat. Clim. Change. 9, 374-378 doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0459-z
- Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL) Fossil Fuels & Plastics www.ciel.org/issue/fossil-fuels-plastic
- CIEL (2019) Plastic & Climate : The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Plastic-and-Climate-FINAL-2019.pdf
- ClientEarth: Plastics: A Carbon Copy of the Climate Crisis www.clientearth.org/latest/latest-updates/stories/plastics-a-carbon-copy-of-the-climate-crisis
“By 2050, the [cumulative] greenhouse gas emissions from plastic could reach over 56 gigatonnes – 10-13 percent of the entire remaining carbon budget”, wrote the Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL), in their “Plastic and Climate” report of 2019. By 2050, the emissions from the lifecycle of plastics could be equivalent to 615 large coal-fired power stations – 2.8 gigatonnes of CO2 per year
- Canada’s National Observer Investigation (2021) www.nationalobserver.com/2021/03/10/canadas-east-coast-researchers-look-plastic-and-new-way-do-science
- HuffPost (2014) Plastiglomerate: The New & Horrible Way Humans are Leaving their Mark on the Planet www.huffpost.com/entry/plastiglomerate_n_5496062
- OnlyOne (2022) My blood tested positive for plastic and now I want answers – and action. www.only.one/read/my-blood-tested-positive-for-plastic-now-i-want-answers-and-action
5. Fossil Record
- The Guardian (2019) After bronze and iron, welcome to the plastic age, say scientists www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/04/plastic-pollution-fossil-record
- EarthSky (2019) Plastic pollution has entered fossil record, says study earthsky.org/earth/plastic-pollution-fossil-record
- Global CO2 emissions ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions
6. Recycling and Reuse
- Crippa, M., De Wilde, B., Koopmans, R., Leyssens, J., Muncke, J., Ritschkoff A-C., Van Doorsselaer, K., Velis, C. & Wagner, M. (2019) A circular economy for plastics – Insights from research and innovation to inform policy and funding decisions, M. De Smet & M. Linder (Eds.), European Commission, Brussels, Belgium; available at www.hbm4eu.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/2019_RI_Report_A-circular-economy-for-plastics.pdf
- BBC (2018) Why Plastic Waste Recycling is So Difficult; www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-45496884
- Race to Zero (2022) 2030 Breakthrough Agenda [COP27] www.racetozero.unfccc.int/system/breakthroughs
7. Recycling specific plastics:
- Fluoropolymers www.chemanager-online.com/en/topics/chemicals-distribution/new-process-recycling-fluoropolymers
- Polystyrene: www.businesswaste.co.uk/plastic-recycling/is-polystyrene-recyclable
- Epoxy / silicon resins coolmag.net/recycling-epoxy-silicon-resins
- EEA (2020) Biodegradable and compostable plastics — challenges and opportunities; www.eea.europa.eu/publications/biodegradable-and-compostable-plastics
8. Waste and Pollution (including marine pollution)
- Greenpeace (2019) Ghost Gear: the abandoned fishing nets haunting our oceans www.greenpeace.de/sites/default/files/publications/20190611-greenpeace-report-ghost-fishing-ghost-gear-deutsch.pdf
- UNEP Our Planet is Choking on Plastic: www.unep.org/interactives/beat-plastic-pollution
- UNEP (2021) Drowning in Plastics Marine Litter & Plastic Waste: wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/36989/VITGRAPH_ES.pdf
- Petten, L. et al. (2020) Marine Plastic Pollution. Deloitte; www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/insights/topics/strategy/marine-plastic-pollution.html
- The Ocean Cleanup : the price tag of plastic pollution; theoceancleanup.com/the-price-tag-of-plastic-pollution
- Minderoo Foundation Sea The Future www.minderoo.org/no-plastic-waste
- Plastic pollution (UK) www.greenpeace.org.uk/challenges/plastic-pollution
- Marine Litter : AWI Litterbase litterbase.awi.de
- UN Environment Programme www.unep.org/interactives/beat-plastic-pollution
- Statista (2021) Plastic waste in the UK www.statista.com/topics/4918/plastic-waste-in-the-united-kingdom-uk and plastic waste in Europe www.statista.com/topics/5141/plastic-waste-in-europe.
9. Technology will save us (maybe)
- Prof. Kimura and Ideonella sakaiensis a PET-eating enzyme
- Medium (2018) 2050 : A World without plastic medium.com/age-of-awareness/2050-a-world-without-plastic-4acc3ac81892
- The Conversation (2016) New Plastic Munching Bacteria could Fuel a Recycling Revolution theconversation.com/new-plastic-munching-bacteria-could-fuel-a-recycling-revolution-55961
10. (Some) Exhibit sources
Exhibit 6
- Geological time:
- Håkon Mosby vulcano: www.mindat.org/maps.php?id=208360 | Tromsø 69.6492° N, 18.9553° E
Exhibit 8
- Gulf stream collapse: www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/05/climate-crisis-scientists-spot-warning-signs-of-gulf-stream-collapse
- East Greenland currents: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Greenland_Current
- Norse traditions
Exhibit 9
- Submarine cables:
- www.submarinecablemap.com
- www2.telegeography.com/submarine-cable-faqs-frequently-asked-questions
- Shanghai landing: www.submarinecablemap.com/submarine-cable/seamewe-3
- Scotland-Ireland www.submarinecablemap.com/submarine-cable/scotland-northern-ireland-3 [42km Donaghadee – Port Patrick]
- Manufacturing subsea cables www.jdrcables.com/manufacturing-subsea-cable
- Subsea composite cables www.subsea-composite-cables.com and www.subsea-composite-cables.com/pdf/subsea-fibre-optic-composite-cables/subsea-fibre-optic-cables-HS-SK813.pdf
- Quintis Fibre Optic Cable specifications, applications etc. mh-fiberoptics.com/sites/default/files/downloads/quintis_fiber_optic_cable_v2.pdf
- Fibre communications:
- Fibre optic communication en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiber-optic_communication
- NANOG77 Everything you always wanted to know about Optical Richard Steenbergen www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKeZaNwPKPo
- Optical Fibre Capacity Limits – where do we go next? www.youtube.com/watch?v=prC-1lZ_wdk&t=549s
- Quantum networks:
- Quantum entanglement in Optical Fiber www.optica-opn.org/home/articles/volume_19/issue_3/features/quantum_entanglement_in_optical_fiber
- Quantum networks: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_network
- What is a quantum network? www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/what-is-a-quantum-network
- Envisioning quantum networks pie.org/news/photonics-focus/novdec-2022/envisioning-quantum-networks
- Quantum teleportation: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_teleportation
One of the first scientific articles to investigate quantum teleportation is Teleporting an Unknown Quantum State via Dual Classical and Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Channels published by C. H. Bennett, G. Brassard, C. Crépeau, R. Jozsa, A. Peres, and W. K. Wootters in 1993, in which they proposed using dual communication methods to send/receive quantum information. It was experimentally realised in 1997 by two research groups, led by Sandu Popescu and Anton Zeilinger, respectively.
Plastics – A Rough Guide
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