28.2 C
Accra
Monday, February 10, 2025
WorldRwanda and Norway are leading a coalition working to eliminate plastic pollution

Date:

Rwanda and Norway are leading a coalition working to eliminate plastic pollution

Norway and Rwanda would be on the honor roll if nations were graded on their commitment to reducing plastic waste.

A “high-ambition” coalition of 20 nations was established this week by the two to seek to eradicate plastic pollution by the year 2040.

The organization intends to advocate for reducing plastic manufacturing, enhancing recycling, and creating mechanisms to keep nations responsible for their commitments.

The effort follows a major agreement earlier this year among more than 150 nations at the UN Environmental Assembly. Countries aim to hash out a treaty by 2024 to reduce plastic waste, which is piling up in landfills and waterways, harming marine life, and contributing to the climate crisis.

“This is an unacceptable burden to place on future generations,” Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, Rwanda’s minister of environment, said in a statement. The largest source of that burden the US hasn’t yet signed on to the coalition, though that could change.

The US produces more than twice as much plastic waste as China, according to a report by the National Academies of Sciences. Plastic production has exploded since the 1970s and boosted the bottom lines of oil and petrochemical companies. The industry is investing in new plastic plants around the world to offset dropping demand for fossil fuels as countries try to combat the climate crisis.

Without radical action to curb demand, global plastic waste could triple in the coming decades, with less than one-fifth of it getting recycled. A State Department spokesperson said there is no one-size-fits-all solution to combating plastic pollution. The spokesperson also said a treaty should be flexible so individual countries can decide the best strategies to keep plastic out of the environment.

They added that US officials played an active role at the UN Environment Assembly and will also participate in the first meeting on a global treaty in Uruguay in November. Erica Nuez who worked on international marine litter and microplastics issues at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration before joining

The Ocean Foundation told Insider that the US absence from the “high-ambition” coalition doesn’t mean much right now, because the government often takes a while to finalize its positions.Either way, Nuez was glad to see the coalition explicitly state a goal to “restrain” plastic production and eliminate “problematic” plastics, because recycling alone won’t solve the waste problem.

The coalition won’t push for limits on plastic production. Instead, the focus will be on reducing demand for new material through policies like banning plastics that are most likely to be littered or contain harmful chemicals. Creating markets for recycled plastic is also a priority, said Martin Lerberg Fossum, a spokesman for the coalition.

Researchers have identified some 10,000 chemicals associated with plastic manufacturing, with more than 2,400 of potential concern to human health and the environment.

“We don’t know how much plastic is being produced, where it’s going, what additives or fillers are used or their toxicity,” Neil Tangri, the science and policy director at the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, said. “We need harmonized standards and data to track and verify progress.”

[forminator_poll id="710479"]

Latest stories

Poor compensation led me to quit shooting music videos in Ghana – KayPeevibez

Ghanaian filmmaker KayPeevibez has announced that he will no...

Gunmen ambush bus in Upper East, kills 1 injures 5

A bus traveling from Bawku to Bolgatanga in the...

Chika Ike announces first pregnancy at 39

Nollywood actress and entrepreneur Chika Ike has announced her...

We saved 50 govt bungalows from private developers – ORAL team

The immediate past Chairman of the Operation Recover All...

Article Wan explains ‘Jump and Go’ comment on TGMA performances

Ghanaian musician Article Wan has shed light on his...

“Meet my son in whom I am well pleased” – Actor Aki

Nollywood actor Chinedu Ikedieze, popularly known as Aki, has...

Related stories

“I still consider it my biggest failure” – Bill Gates on life after divorce

Bill Gates is speaking candidly about his divorce from Melinda French...

Kanye West reclaims title as wealthiest rapper, surpassing JAY-Z

Kanye West has reportedly reclaimed the title of the...

Meta offers TikTokers $5,000 to join Facebook, Instagram

Social media giant Meta has offered to pay up...

About 1,600 Capitol riot defendants pardoned by Trump

President Donald Trump has issued pardons or commuted sentences...

LIVESTREAMING: Swearing-in ceremony for Donald Trump

Today marks the beginning of Donald Trump's second term...

Inauguration Day schedule for Trump’s swearing-in ceremony today

Donald Trump will take the oath of office today...

WhatsApp to stop working on these devices in 2025

WhatsApp will soon cease supporting 18 Android models and...