Plastic Bags and climate change are linked in a variety of ways. From air quality to ocean toxicity, plastic bags contribute to eco-system disruption.
 
Plastic bags emerge as fossil fuels and end up as deadly waste in landfills and the ocean. Birds often mistake shredded plastic bags for food, filling their stomachs with toxic debris. For hungry sea turtles, it is nearly impossible to distinguish between jellyfish and floating plastic shopping bags. Fish consume thousands of tons of plastic a year, transferring it up the food chain to bigger fish and marine mammals. According to National Geographic, an estimated 100,000 marine animals die each year from suffocating on or ingesting bags.
 
The plastic industry is the second-largest and fastest-growing source of industrial greenhouse gas emissions, and 99% of what goes into plastic is derived from fossil fuels. It is a byproduct of oil, coal and gas and a key contributor to CO2 emissions, as highlighted in a 2019 report from the Center of International Environmental Law.
 
In 2019, the production and burning of plastics produced around 850 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, which equates to the emissions from 189 five-hundred megawatt coal power plants. With the responsible industries planning a massive expansion in plastics production, the situation is predicted to get much worse, threatening our ability to keep global temperatures below 1.5°C threshold. By 2050, annual emissions could grow to nearly 2.8 billion metric tons of CO2, similar to running 615 coal plants.
 
Utilizing paper bags or reusable bags when shopping will drastically decrease plastic bag pollution. Fewer animals will die. Fewer bags will be produced. Fewer fossil fuels will be used. The result of this small sacrifice on our part is a better and healthier environment for everyone.
 
Sobeys is one prominent Canadian supermarket to stop issuing plastic bags to customers, encouraging them to bring their own bags and providing paper bags. Sign this petition to help pressure other grocery stores, including Walmart, Real Canadian Superstore, Loblaws, and Metro, to partake in this vital change!