"Failure to address a worldwide plastic pollution crisis could trigger a surge in greenhouse gas emissions and human health problems tied to the industry, according to a new report.

Global plastic pollution is set to double over the next 15 years unless policies change, according to the report by Pew Charitable Trust and ICF, with support from Imperial College London, the University of Oxford and partner organizations.

In contrast, an “unprecedented global collaboration and commitment” to quickly slashing plastic production and use and improving waste management could reduce global annual plastic pollution by 83% by 2040, the Dec. 3 report concluded.

The findings are “stark,” Tom Dillon, Pew’s senior vice president of environment and cross-cutting initiatives, wrote in a preface to the report, but “hope remains.”"

Shannon Kelleher reports for The New Lede December 4, 2025. [2]