The United Nations Environment AssemblyWednesday A resolution was approvedTo establish the first-ever global agreement regarding plastic pollution. Circularity.
Building off of prior resolutions aimed at tackling the “long-term elimination of plastic pollution,” the four-page resolutionReprezentants from 175 countries signify their willingness to create a legally binding instrument that will help curb the rise in plastic pollution, which includes Microplastics.
The Assembly, the world’s highest-level environmental decision-making body, gathered for a three-day meeting in Nairobi, Kenya earlier this week. The United Nations The assembly was created in 2012 to elevate environmental issues to the same level as peace and security, poverty alleviation, and health as well as to frame a “coherent system of international environmental governance.”
An estimated 11 million metric tons plasticEvery year, millions of people cross the ocean. According to the United Nations, the global plastic industry is estimated at Valued at US$522.6 BillionWith a potential to double their capacity by 2040, Our research has shown that plastics have a wide-ranging impact on the environment. Food Drinking waterTo the air, and even our bodies. They are also important sources of material, with over 99 percent of plastics made from fossil fuels. Climate change-inducing greenhousegas emissions.
The resolution was passed with overwhelming support and standing ovation. Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme Inger Andersen called this it “the most important multilateral environmental deal since [the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change].”
“We’re making history today and you should all be proud,” said Espen Barth EideIn his address to members of the Assembly, he addressed the President of that Assembly. “Plastic pollution has grown into an epidemic. With today’s resolution, we are officially on track for a cure.”
Environmental advocates and delegates alike greeted the global plastics treaty with open arms, praising the mandate’s legal structure and special emphasis on the marine environment. Over 2,000 people were present in December 2021. 700 groups from 113 nationsWe urged the United Nations to create a plastics treaty.
Next is the actual negotiation of a treaty. “[I]t will be essential to ensure that the doors to public participation remain open and that human rights and social and environmental justice remain foundational to the treaty,” said Jane Patton, Plastics & Petrochemicals Campaign Manager for the Center for International Environmental Law.
Speaking to the potential impact of the resolution, Andersen said, “I have complete faith that once endorsed by this assembly, we will have something truly historic on our hands.”
The treaty is expected to be completed in 2024.