Plastics: Law, students and the problem of plastics

Event details

Global Day of Action for Climate Justice

Consumption of plastics is a major contributing factor to global warming and the climate crisis. Since 1950, the amount of plastic produced globally is estimated to be around 9.2 billion tons. By 2050 it is estimated that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Microplastics in our water are damaging marine life and the fumes released by factory plants have been linked to cancers and other illnesses. The overwhelming consumption of plastic disproportionately damages marginalised communities and so it is clear that, as a social justice issue, the issue of plastics and their impact on the climate deserves a central place in our work.

Please join us to hear from lawyers, business owners, chemists and circular economy experts as we discuss the damaging impacts of single-use plastics, the wide array of alternatives available to us, and how we can effectively regulate plastic production in order to reduce its imprint on our planet. 

The climate emergency is only getting more prevalent and more urgent. It is essential that we have these conversations now, in order to prepare ourselves to tackle them in our future careers. 

This event is part of the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice, founded by members of York Law School along with King’s College London 3 years ago. This project has so far connected 50 legal clinics around the world, from California to Melbourne to Delhi to Nigeria, in an effort to unite and raise awareness for the climate emergency.