Climate Change Impacts Across the Life Cycle of Plastics

Lisa Anne Hamilton, Director of Climate & Energy for the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), will be speaking on Saturday, March 30, 10AM-12:30PM, at The Free Library of Northampton Township, 25 Upper Holland Road in Richboro. Sponsored by The League of Women Voters of Bucks County, Ms. Hamilton’s presentation “Climate Change Impacts Across the Life Cycle of Plastics” is made possible by a grant from the Heinz Endowment to the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania’s (LWVPA) “Straight Scoop on Shale” project. Ms. Hamilton is the Director of the Climate & Energy division of CIEL, which is one of three of their program areas of focus. CIEL is headquartered in Washington, DC and has an office in Geneva, Switzerland.

The intent of the grant awarded to LWVPA is to engage people across the state in learning more about plastics, their impacts on our health and environment, strategies for dealing with plastic disposal, and environmentally safer alternatives to plastics. As part of their broad scope of work, CIEL is looking at plastics pollution and how the oil and gas industry is prepared to invest billions in expanding plastics production. The oil and gas industries involved in shale extraction in Pennsylvania and the intersection with the worsening problem of plastics pollution will be addressed in this program.

LWVPA has among its position on issues, positions on natural resources and the natural gas extraction from Marcellus Shale. Positions are arrived at through a prescribed multi-step process including study, discussion, and consensus. Transparency and responsiveness to stakeholders is important, and bringing this information to the local Leagues in the state to share is key to informed communities. LWVBC plans to continue their study on plastics through additional research.

To learn more about Ms. Hamilton and the work of CIEL, visit the website www.ciel.org. For additional information about the League in Bucks County, visit www.lwvbucks.org.