World Environment Day was observed today with a focus on plastic pollution solutions by individuals, communities, civil society, businesses, and governments all across the world. The official events took place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, with the help of the Netherlands. Following the recent conclusion of the second round of negotiations on a worldwide accord to prevent plastic pollution in France, the focus on plastic pollution solutions this World Environment Day is especially pertinent.
After being founded by the UN General Assembly in 1972, World Environment Day will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023. With the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in charge for the past 50 years, the day has developed into one of the biggest international venues for environmental awareness. Numerous millions of individuals take part in worldwide activities, events, and actions both offline and online.
Fossil fuels are used to generate plastic, thus the more plastic we produce and burn, the worse the climate catastrophe gets. In his address for World Environment Day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted, “But we have solutions. Governments, businesses, and consumers must collaborate to end our addiction to plastics, promote zero waste, and create a truly circular economy. Mr. Jean-Luc Assi, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Côte d’Ivoire, said the following during the official event at Espace Latrille Events Deux Plateaux in Abidjan: “Côte d’Ivoire enacted a decree in 2013 banning the production, import and marketing, possession and use of plastic bags. It has aided companies in making the changeover to recyclable and biodegradable packaging. Abidjan, the largest city in the nation, has developed into a center for start-ups fighting plastic waste. They are given motivation. So let’s all be conscious of the need to stop the pollution from plastics. Act immediately and demand an end to plastic pollution.
“World Environment Day aids in bringing attention to the pressing issues we are now facing. challenges like pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change. All three of those issues are impacted by plastic pollution, according to the Netherlands’ Environment Minister Vivianne Heijnen. We must keep spreading knowledge, gathering best practices, and obtaining a commitment from all parties involved. I’m hoping that this year’s World Environment Day will go down in history as a turning point in the fight against plastic pollution.
Whopping 430 million tonnes of plastic are produced by humans each year, with two-thirds going to quickly decomposable goods. The consequences of plastic pollution on society and the economy range from $300 to $600 billion annually.
According to a recent UNEP analysis, Turning off the Tap, if nations and businesses undertake significant policy and market reforms utilizing current technologies, plastic pollution may be reduced by 80% by 2040.
“We must stop plastic pollution for the sake of the planet’s health, for the sake of our health, and for the sake of our prosperity. According to Inger Andersen, Executive Director of (UNEP), “This will require nothing less than a comprehensive overhaul of how we make, use, recover, and dispose of plastics and the items that include them. “The way the world manufactures uses and discards plastic has resulted in calamity. But by stopping the flow of plastic pollution, we can put an end to it. I urge everyone to get involved in the international campaign on World Environment Day. and assist us in permanently defeating plastic pollution.
The task of creating a zero draught of a global, legally enforceable agreement on plastic pollution, particularly in the marine environment, was assigned to the INC Chair during the second meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on plastic pollution in Paris, France.
A historic resolution (5/14) was adopted in February 2022 at the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2) with the goal of concluding the negotiations by the end of 2024 to create an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. The instrument’s foundation will be a thorough strategy that considers plastic’s whole life cycle. Nairobi, Kenya will host INC’s third meeting on November 2023.
combating pollution from plastic:-
The impetus for global action is evident all around the world in the weeks leading up to and on World Environment Day. This World Environment Day Map highlights creative, neighborhood-based ways to lessen plastic pollution. Numerous events have been registered, including beach clean-ups in Mumbai, workshops to make cloth bags in Ghana, and live concerts in Atlanta with no plastic trash.
In order to address sustainability issues in the aviation sector, the International Air Travel Association and UNEP recently established a Memorandum of Understanding that is in line with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The partnership’s initial goal is to reduce problematic single-use plastic goods and enhance plastic usage circularity in the aviation sector.
UNEP and the UITP unveiled a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize their partnership at a World Environment Day event at the Global Public Transport Summit of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) in Barcelona, Spain. The agreement places a strong emphasis on raising environmental and sustainability awareness throughout public transport networks.
A village in the Kyrgyz Republic named Jyrgalan recently opened its first waste collection facility with UNEP’s assistance. The facility aims to address the village’s growing waste challenges—caused by increased tourism—by enhancing small businesses and the participation of women in decision-making.
Under the direction of UNEP representatives, the government of Panama, regional and national UN offices, and civil society organizations, particularly youth organizations, made a commitment to minimize plastic waste in their workplaces and communities.
Due to training provided by the nonprofit organization Enaleia, fishers from 42 ports in Greece have ceased littering and are now collecting marine trash with their nets. Enaleia, which was co-founded by Lefteris Arapakis, a UNEP Young Champion of the Earth for Europe, recently declared that it will expand its operations in Kenya and Italy as well as begin working in Egypt and Spain.
New industry rules on the recyclable nature of plastic packaging have been published by the Kenya Plastics Pact. The guidelines are intended to offer decision-makers simple suggestions on how to design plastic packaging so that it is compatible with existing and planned mechanical recycling facilities.
The plastic waste-only art installation will debut in New York at the World Trade Centre. Movie stars and well-known singers have joined together in India to make a music video and spread messages to inspire more people to take action against plastic pollution. To commemorate the day and draw attention to the environmental harm the Aral Sea is experiencing, the local music group Great Steppe in Kazakhstan recorded a music video. In Almaty, a sustainable fashion and art event backed by the UN included recycled-material clothing.
Billboards in Times Square and Piccadilly Circus, as well as transportation hubs and airports all across the world—from China and Indonesia to Chile and the United States—broadcast messages for World Environment Day, raising awareness among millions of people.
The hashtags for World Environment Day, #WorldEnvironmentDay, and Beat #PlasticPollution, trended at number one and number two on Twitter, respectively, with hundreds of thousands of people participating online. The Beat Plastic Pollution Practical Guide has been downloaded by more than 50,000 individuals.
These activities, demonstrations, and displays, which are taking place in homes, businesses, schools, and community centers, show how people and communities play a significant role in driving environmental change. They can encourage organizations such as governments, cities, financial institutions, and businesses to make use of their resources to fund and implement extensive solutions to the plastic pollution challenge.