WWF: Global plastics pollution has been created in one generation and, with system-wide accountability, can be solved in one generation.
March 31, 2019The global plastics pollution crisis will only worsen unless all actors
across the plastics value chain are made more accountable for the true cost of
plastics to nature and people, warns a WWF report published today. The new
study, Solving Plastic Pollution Through Accountability, finds that too much
responsibility for reducing plastics pollution is currently focused on
consumers and waste management and efforts will remain insufficient unless
action is taken across the entire value chain.
The report, released ahead of a key United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA)
meeting in Nairobi next week, warns that an additional 104 million metric tons
of plastic is at risk of leakage to our ecosystems by 2030 without a drastic
change in approach.
The leakage caused by this broken system is having devastating effects on
wildlife and ecosystems. More than 270 species have been documented as having
been harmed by entanglement, while more than 240 species have been found to
have ingested plastics. Every year humans and animals continue to ingest
plastics from food and drinking water, with the full effects still unknown.
According to the report, under a business as usual scenario, the overall CO2
emissions from the plastic life cycle are expected to increase by 50%, while
the CO2 increase from plastic incineration is set to triple by 2030, due to
wrong waste management choices.
“Our existing method of producing, using and disposing of plastic is
fundamentally broken. It’s a system lacking in accountability, and currently
operates in a way which practically guarantees that ever-increasing volumes of
plastic will leak into nature,” said Marco Lambertini, Director General of
WWF-International.
“We are in the middle of a plastics crisis and we know that plastic pollution
is not just ugly – it’s dangerous for marine life and we’re only beginning to
understand what it does to people. This issue can be solved only if we apply
the right level of responsibility across the whole plastic supply and value
chain from design to disposal. We know the solutions, from reduction to
collection, recycling and alternatives. We can solve this plastic crisis, it
requires each actor to account for the plastics they use.”
The UNEA meeting, which takes place from 11-15 March, will see world leaders
confronted with plastics pollution as a major environmental issue. At this
meeting, WWF is urging governments to start negotiating a legally binding
international treaty on marine plastics pollution.
“Uncoordinated and piecemeal approaches to fixing this crisis will not
suffice”, added Lambertini. “The UNEA meeting is a crucial opportunity to take
the first steps towards solving this issue. Public outrage and concern for the
plastic crisis is growing, along with the demand that governments and
business show leadership and take decisive action now.”
This treaty would establish national targets and transparent reporting
mechanisms that extend to companies. Additionally, it should provide financial
and technical support for low income countries.
Solving Plastic Pollution Through Accountability also calls for measures to
reinforce existing initiatives, such as eliminating problematic single use
plastics, upgrading national waste management plans and reaching 100%
collection rates.