The United Nations Environment Assembly met in Nairobi and adopted a resolution that addresses plastic pollution. It calls for two years’ of negotiations to reach an international treaty that covers the entire life cycle of plastics.
Wednesday’s agreement on plastic waste was approved by 175 countries.
The United Nations estimates that 400 million tons of plastic are produced each year. This number is expected to double by 2040, according to the United Nations.
Rwanda was one of the countries to ban plastic from its territory. It is now pushing for a plastic-free planet.
Jeanne Mujawamariya is Rwanda’s environment minister. She said that her country would greatly benefit from global regulation of plastics.
She stated that if the bill is approved, it would be a significant step towards creating a legally binding instrument for countries like Rwanda where we have made great progress. If we want to end the current chaos, find sustainable alternatives, and make them affordable, then systematic global change is necessary.
Since 2012, the U.N. has been addressing plastic pollution.
Recycling is still one of the most effective ways to reduce plastics. The Environmental Investigation Agency, a non-profit environmental organization, stated that the current method of managing plastics is not sustainable.
Plastic produced today is less than 10% recycled. 76% is disposed of in landfills. Experts predict plastic production will triple by 2050.
Amina Mohamed, the United Nations deputy Secretary-General, told the attendees not to be afraid of a future that isn’t plastic.
Mohammed stated that although we have learned how recycle plastic, we need a more robust approach to address this problem and ensure systemic changes through strong action upstream, and downstream. To win this war, we need to be ambitious and move more quickly. This will require genuine collaborations, partnerships and a shared vision.
The fight against plastic pollution is a plan to reduce plastic entering the oceans by 80% by 2040 and create 700,000. Jobs by that time.
Jane Patton, Center for International Environmental Law’s plastic and petrochemicals campaign director, explained to VOA that the agreement will require plastics companies to manage the waste emitted.
The resolution specifically calls on a legally binding instrument. As we have seen, companies that produce plastic waste and put it into the environment don’t keep their promises unless they are legally obliged to. We are thrilled to see that the treaty will contain both mandatory and voluntary government commitments, which will have an impact on companies working to solve this problem.
The U.N.’s head of Environment Program, Inger Andersen, said that the plastic treaty was an important international environmental agreement. Inger Andersen, head of the U.N. Environment Program, stated that the plastic treaty was the largest international environmental agreement since 2016’s Paris climate accord.