Abstract:

Plastic is a fossil fuel product. Despite efforts to find alternatives, 99% of plastic is derived from oil and gas. As regulatory efforts to date have largely failed to address profligate plastic production, the sector continues to grow rapidly, accounting for a sizeable and growing portion of global fossil fuel yields. The plastic sector is thus responsible for both a significant amount of global warming potential and a fraction of localized pollution risks from oil and gas extraction and refining operations commensurate with its consumption. Past research has clearly established the link between living near oil and gas development and a litany of health risks, and these exposures tend to be inequitably distributed across populations. This paper expands on the authors’ previous work, outlining the Three-Part Framework for Identifying Plastic-Burdened Communities by conducting a high-resolution geospatial analysis of every operational oil and gas well and refinery in the State of California – the upstream stage of the plastic supply chain. The results show that communities living in close proximity to oil and gas infrastructure are consistently home to greater proportions of Hispanic/Latino and Black residents and lower proportions of White residents; have lower median household incomes and higher poverty rates; have lower levels of educational attainment; and face higher levels of environmental burden and rates of harmful health conditions. The authors recommend that California’s governance decisions regarding the oil and gas industry take into account its links to plastic-related environmental injustice, and that communities experiencing exposure risks from multiple stages of the plastic supply chain be prioritized for public investment.