IT MAY be late in the day, but now or any time in the future is as good a time as any to take the first steps in stemming the wave of plastic waste spewing out of our seas and oceans, not to mention forming giant mounds in our landfills.
Minute pieces of plastic have invaded the habitat of fish, crustaceans and other seafood, and from these were delivered to humans and animals alike, causing discomfort, illness and later, death. Plastic pollutes the environment and sets back by several notches whatever gains mankind has made in the area of climate change mitigation.
This totally concerning situation led many nations in February 2022 to agree in principle on the need for a legally binding United Nations (UN) treaty to end plastic pollution across the globe, setting an ambitious 2024 deadline. France took the lead in hosting a ministerial summit on the problem last week, with 60 countries kick-starting the talks.
‘Tourism, fishing, food, drinks, logistics, shipping, and housing are only a few of the industries negatively impacted by the presence of mountains of plastic wastes, and experts say the problem will intensify if nothing drastic is done to remedy the situation.’
After the five-day plastic pollution summit in Paris, the delegates from 175 participating countries and organizations agreed unanimously to have a first draft of an international treaty on the problem completed by November.
The third meeting of the International Negotiating Committee is scheduled in November in Nairobi, Kenya, with a view to signing a definitive treaty by the end of 2024.
After this, the participating nations signified the seriousness of their effort against plastic pollution that another top-level meeting is set in Canada, concluding in South Korea at the end of 2024.
It takes little convincing for nations to take up the cause of fighting plastic pollution, for their citizens especially those in coastal communities are suffering from diminished livelihood and dirty surroundings because of plastic wastes. Tourism, fishing, food, drinks, logistics, shipping, and housing are only a few of the industries negatively impacted by the presence of mountains of plastic wastes, and experts say the problem will intensify if nothing drastic is done to remedy the situation.
Statistics report that annual production of plastic wastes has more than doubled in 20 years to 460 million tons. The future is bleak for the generations yet to come.
Countries must reach an agreement despite diverging ambitions and opposing pressure from certain industries, supported by oil-producing countries, and NGOs.
French President Emmanuel Macron summarized the problem by saying “plastic pollution is a time-bomb and at the same time already a scourge today” even as he called for an end to a system where richer countries export plastic waste to poorer ones.
He called for reducing production of fossil-fuel based plastics and banning the most polluting products like single-use plastics. All other world leaders should show support.
