It might be helpful to think of a Starbucks coffee cup. Laminated with plastic, they are almost impossible to recycle, meaning they don't degrade for up to 500 years. Early this year, British parliamentarians proposed forcing coffee chains to charge consumers about 34 cents per cup, a policy that would make visible the cup's cost to the planet. The likely outcome would be a reduction in cups produced as people brought in reusable cups for their lattes. Yet GDP, our yardstick of success, would shrink.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 25, 2018 10:18 UTC