Does Mardi Gras Add to Climate Change? Yes, and Here Is How.
Plastic beads and throws during the 2018 Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Photo by Solitary Wanderer
What do Mardi Gras, mosquitoes, and plastics have in common?
I’ll start with the calls I heard from krewe members and parade-goers at this year’s Mardi Gras.
You know, the ones that went like this:
“Hey, Mister! Throw me some higher sea level rise, larger hurricanes, and more flooding rainfalls!”
“Hey, you! Catch these for increased risks of forest fires, toxic air pollution and brutal petro-dictators!”
And my favorite:
“Hey, Mister! Throw me a chance to clog the drainage systems so our streets, cars and even houses flood more often and our insurance rates continue to rise!!”
OK, no one was yelling that. Well, not intentionally.
You see, as we’ve allowed our treasured tradition to morph into a bacchanal of plastic beads and throws produced from fossil fuels, we have become partners in the demise underway of our landscape and the rest of the planet.
That’s because research shows the production, use and disposal of plastics is a serious contributor to the warming climate by annually releasing more than 850 million metric tons of greenhouse gases “equal to the emissions from 189 five-hundred-megawatt coal power plants.”
And those emissions are powering the acceleration of the sea level rise Louisiana scientists say could swamp much of the state below U.S. 90 in the next three decades.
Our beloved holiday contributes to that disaster through the estimated annual purchase of 25 tons of plastic beads.
Of course, the damage from plastic throws extends far beyond climate change. Plastic production can release a long list of deadly toxins that are later found in our air, water and food for decades. Some throws end up defacing the beauty of the trees that help make this city livable.
But here’s the really embarrassing thing about the Mardi Gras bead obsession: No one really wants them for more than a few hours.
Read the rest of the article at The Times-Picayune.
