More than 2,000 experts completed a week of UN-sponsored negotiations. plastic pollutionat one of the largest world conferences ever about this problem, which is still completely out of control. The aim is to sign an international agreement to combat this plague on a planetary scale.. However, the initial differences lie in whether this agreement should be voluntary and on a country-by-country basis, or mandatory and on a global scale.
happened The first meeting of the United Nations committee formed to draft what claims to be a landmark agreement to end plastic pollution worldwide.
“The world needs this deal because we produce billions of plasticsJyoti Mathur-Filipp, executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Committee on Plastics Negotiations, told the Associated Press: “Billions of tons of plastic are produced each year, and there is no way to guarantee that this plastic will not end up in the environment.”
All beaches in places that used to be virgin islands are now littered with rubbish. Even inspecting a random handful of sand in many places reveals the presence of countless small pieces of plastic.
The United Nations Environment Program held the meeting for five days last week in Punta del Este, Uruguay, known for its beaches.
Delegates from over 150 countries, representatives of the plastics industry, environmentalists, scientists, recyclers, tribal leaders and others affected due to contamination that he personally or virtually participated in. Plastic recyclers, especially those from poor countries who work without any labor or health guarantees, want their work recognized and a just transition to paid, healthy and sustainable jobs only.
Even at this first meeting (out of a total of five meetings scheduled for the next two years), Several parties or factions were outlined. Some countries preferred national solutions, others an international strategy.. Regardless, if a deal is finally accepted, it will be the first legally binding global agreement to tackle plastic pollution.
Does not support industry restrictions
Pioneering the industry view was the American Chemistry Council, a trade association of chemical companies. Joshua Baca, vice president of the plastics division, said that companies wanted to work with governments on this issue as they were frustrated by the problem. But despite that, warned that some countries would not support production restrictions as they wanted.
“Work continues to ensure that used plastics never mix with nature,” said Baca. “A top-down approach that limits or prohibits production does nothing to address the challenges we face in terms of waste management,” he added.
The US, one of the major plastics producing countries, supports the design of national plansbecause they allow governments to prioritize the most important sources and types of plastic pollution.
Most plastic is made from fossil fuels. Other oil, gas and plastic producing countries have also called for individual nations to be held accountable. representative China has acknowledged that it will be difficult to effectively control global plastic pollution. with one or more universal approaches.
representative Saudi Arabia also pointed out that each country should determine its own action plan., without standardization or harmonization between them. The delegate said plastic plays a vital role in sustainable development, so the agreement must recognize the importance of continuing plastic production while tackling the root cause of pollution, which he blames for poor waste management.
National plans or global plans?
Some referred to these countries as: “low ambition” group. Andrés Del Castillo, senior attorney at the International Center for Environmental Law, explained that while national plans are important, they shouldn’t be the backbone of the deal, because that’s the system the world currently has (or really lacks).
“We don’t see the point in meeting with experts from around the world five times to discuss voluntary action, when special control measures are needed to reduce and then eliminate plastic pollution around the world,” he said. “This is a cross-border issue.”
“Plastics are fossil fuels in another form and pose a serious threat to human rights, climate and biodiversity,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Twitter.
unique style “Highly ambitious coalition” of countries wants to end plastic pollution by 2040, use an ambitious and effective international legally binding tool. These countries are Norway and Rwanda.
The delegate from Norway at the meeting stated that the production and use of plastics should be stopped and the first priority should be to determine which plastic products, polymers and chemical additives elimination would lead to faster improvements.
African countries, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru and others have also called for a global approach.arguing that voluntary and fragmented national plans will not address the magnitude of plastic pollution. Small island nations that depend on the ocean for food and livelihoods said they were overwhelmed by the plastic debris that washed up on their shores. Developing countries also stated that they need financial support to combat plastic pollution.
Australia, the United Kingdom and Brazil, for their part, felt that international obligations should complement national action.
It is also a health issue.
Tadesse Amera, an environmental scientist, agreement should address not only waste but also environmental health issues Chemicals in plastics created when products are used, recycled, disposed of or incinerated as waste. Amera is Director of the Ethiopian Pesticide Action Nexus Association and Co-Chair of the International Pollutant Elimination Network.
“This is not a waste management issue,” he said. “It’s a chemical problem and a health problem, human health, and also biodiversity.”
People from industry-affected communities attended the meeting to ensure their voices were heard during the deal negotiations. This included Frankie Orona, executive director of the Native Nations League in Texas.
“There is a lack of inclusion of those directly negatively impacted by this industry. And they have to be at the table,” he said. “Most of the time there are solutions.”
Orona said that while governments should aim for more, negotiations so far appear focused on reducing plastic. “We need to completely free ourselves from plastic,” he said.
The next meeting is scheduled for spring in France and they want to move towards the creation of concrete measures to end the plastic invasion in it.
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Contact address of the environment department: [email protected]
Source: Informacion
James Sean is a writer for “Social Bites”. He covers a wide range of topics, bringing the latest news and developments to his readers. With a keen sense of what’s important and a passion for writing, James delivers unique and insightful articles that keep his readers informed and engaged.