By Clara Nwachukwu
Plastic pollution is a grave threat to ecosystems, to human health and to the climate, declared the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), as it called for an end to the global crisis.
“For the sake of the planet’s health, for the sake of our health, for the sake of our prosperity, we must end plastic pollution,” it pleaded.
Speaking today at the Opening of World Environment Day 2023, in Abidjan, Côte d`Ivoire, the Executive Director, UNEP, Inger Andersen, reiterated that “Plastic pollution is a deeply concerning strand of the triple planetary crisis.”
Andersen, who spoke on “Uniting to end plastic pollution,” also informed that ending the environment crisis will involve “a complete redesign of how we produce, use, recover and dispose of plastics and products that contain them.”
This is because “The world produces more than 400 million metric tonnes of plastic waste each year. Less than 10% of plastic waste ever produced has been recycled. Where does the rest end up? Buried, burned or dumped – often after just one use in oceans, rivers and lakes; and increasingly, in the bodies of animals and people,” she said.
She added: “We must redesign products to eliminate or use less plastic – particularly problematic and unnecessary plastics. Redesign product packaging to use less plastic. Redesign systems and products for reuse and recyclability. Redesign the system for justice – so that workers in the informal waste sector and other vulnerable communities have access to decent jobs.”
Andersen further explained that hosting World Environment Day in Cote d’Ivoire “demonstrates a strong commitment to fighting the triple planetary crisis: the crisis of climate change; the crisis of nature and biodiversity loss; and the crisis of pollution and waste.”
According to her, Cote d’Ivoire is fully engaged in this process, while also acting domestically, as it already banned single-use plastic bags in 2013, and is one of 15 Economic Community of West African States that agreed to ban plastic packaging by 2025.
If we act with unity of purpose, we can virtually eliminate plastic pollution by 2040. Reduce social, environmental and human health costs. Create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, mainly in developing countries, and new markets and business opportunities.
Getting involved
Andersen further noted that “How the world produces, consumes and disposes of plastic has created a disaster. But it is one we can end by turning off the tap on plastic pollution. On World Environment Day, I call on everybody to join the global movement. And help us beat plastic pollution, once and for all.
She charged all countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, to “pick up the pace,” as “each year of delay means more plastic waste gushing into the environment.”
She also called on governments to deliver a strong and ambitious deal to end plastic pollution. “A deal that addresses plastics across the whole lifecycle. A deal that is truly inclusive – engaging informal waste sector workers, Indigenous Peoples, civil society, and academia. A deal that ensures support for developing nations,” she said.
It’s not a job for the governments alone, as she also urged industry and the private sector to engage in the plastic negotiations, insisting that “there is no need for them to wait for a deal to act.”
She continued: “To take full advantage of the new business models and markets that will emerge, they need to get creative now. Redesign products and packaging to eliminate or use less plastic; to be more easily reusable, to be more easily recyclable and repairable.
“Investors must back this transition with their capital. And international finance organizations must invest in solid waste management infrastructure.
“Acting to end plastic pollution is, above all, a major opportunity – particularly for developing countries. If we act with unity of purpose, we can virtually eliminate plastic pollution by 2040. Reduce social, environmental and human health costs. Create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, mainly in developing countries, and new markets and business opportunities.”
She argued that such cooperation is a win-win for everybody under a just transition. “This just transition is crucial for Cote d’Ivoire, where the waste industry employs 10,000 people and supports up to 20,000 informal jobs. And it is crucial for the rest of this great continent, where decent and sustainable jobs for youth and women can bring prosperity and stability.”
