“Every day, the equivalent of over 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic is dumped into our oceans, rivers, and lakes.”
He noted that microplastics are finding their way into the fare we eat, drink water, and flat the air we puff.
“Plastic is made from relic fuels – the more plastic we produce, the more fossil fuel we burn, and the worse we make the climate crisis”, the UN chief said.
But solutions are at hand: including the legally binding agreement that remains on course following five days of negotiations involving more than 130 nations last week.
“This is a promising first step, but we need all hands on deck”, he said, stressing that a new report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) shows that plastic pollution can be reduced by a staggering 80 per cent by 2040 – if humankind acts now to reuse, recycle, and pivot away from plastics.
“We must work as one – governments, companies, and consumers alike – to break our addiction to plastics, champion zero waste, and build a truly circular economy.
UN Secretary-General Urges Global Unity to Combat Plastic Pollution
Defined as plastic particles up to 5mm in diameter – they find their way into everything we consume and breathe. Each person is estimated to consume more than 50,000 plastic bits annually –and many more if inhalation is reviewed.
Discarded or burnt single-use plastic harms human health and biodiversity and pollutes every ecosystem, from mountain tops to the ocean floor.
With available science and solutions to tackle the problem, governments, companies and other stakeholders must scale up and speed actions to solve this crisis, said the UN, underscoring the importance of World Environment Day ” in mobilizing transformative action from every corner of the world.”
As international negotiators committed to hammering out a draft treaty by November on ending plastic pollution, the UN chief stressed in his message for World Environment Day on Monday the importance of curbing the “catastrophic” consequences of waste plastics.
“Each year, above 400 million tons of plastic is produced worldwide – one-third of which is used just once”, said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“Every day, the equivalent of over 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic is dumped into our oceans, rivers, and lakes.”
He noted that microplastics are finding their way into the bread we eat, the water we drink, and flat the air we breathe.
“Plastic is made from fossil fuels – the further plastic we produce, the more fossil fuel we burn, and the worse we make the climate crisis”, the UN chief said.
But solutions are at hand: including the legally binding agreement that remains on course following five days of negotiations involving more than 130 nations last week.
“This is a promising first step, but we need all hands on deck”, he said, stressing that a new report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) shows that plastic pollution can be reduced by a staggering 80 per cent by 2040 – if humankind acts now to reuse, recycle, and pivot away from plastics.
Guterres’ Urgent Call to Action
“We must work as one – governments, companies, and consumers alike – to break our addiction to plastics, champion zero waste, and build a truly circular economy.
“Together, let us shape a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable future for all.”
The statistics for the damage caused by plastics are daunting: more than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced yearly worldwide, half of which are planned to be used only once. Of that, small than 10 per cent is recycled, according to UN figures.
An estimated 19-23 million tonnes end up in lakes, rivers and seas annually – approximately the weight of 2,200 Eiffel Towers.
Microplastics – defined as plastic particles up to 5mm in diameter – find their way into everything we consume and breathe. Each person is estimated to consume more than 50,000 plastic particles per year –and more if inhalation is considered.
Discarded or burnt single-use plastic harms human health and biodiversity and pollutes every ecosystem, from mountain tops to the ocean floor.
With available science and solutions to tackle the problem, governments, companies and other stakeholders must scale up and speed actions to solve this crisis, said the UN, underscoring the importance of World Environment Day” in mobilizing transformative action from every corner of the world.”
Meanwhile, the world must combat the “toxic tidal wave” of plastic pollution that menace human rights; two UN independent experts said last Thursday.
The appeal comes as countries continue negotiations towards an international treaty on plastic pollution and ahead of World Environment Day on 5 June.
“Plastic manufacture has increased exponentially over recent decades, and today the world is generating 400 million tonnes of plastic waste yearly,” said David R. Boyd, UN Special Rapporteur on human decency and the Environment, and Marcos Orellana, Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human rights.
“We are in the middle of a profuse toxic tidal signal as plastic pollutes our environment and negatively crashes human rights in myriad ways over its life cycle.”
The experts outlined how all stages of the “plastics cycle” harm people’s rights to a healthy environment, life, health, food, water and an adequate standard of living.
Plastic production releases hazardous substances and almost exclusively relies on fossil fuels, and the plastic itself contains toxic chemicals which put humans and nature at risk. Furthermore, 85 per cent of single-use plastics end up in landfills or discard in the Environment.
