Representatives from countries across the world are heading to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi for major talks about a proposed global deal aimed at eradicating plastic pollution. Sponsored by Rwanda and Peru, the draft resolution seeks to create a binding treaty on plastics with a view to addressing the issue holistically. The idea is to focus on the entire plastic lifecycle, both human and environmental health elements, beyond just pollution and waste. Backed by dozens of other countries, the draft resolution is the boldest effort yet to rid the world of plastics and help preserve Mother Earth for future generations. However, there are other proposals on the table, much weaker alternative draft resolutions to the blueprint that Rwanda and Peru are pushing, one of which focuses only on fighting marine plastic pollution. It is vitally important that delegates at the forthcoming United Nations Environmental Assembly, due February 28 to March 2, throw their weight behind the right proposal (the draft resolution tabled by Rwanda and Peru) and pave the way for a decisive global instrumental against plastic pollution. In Nairobi, the international community has an opportunity to speak with one voice and take a historic step toward tackling one of the greatest threats facing both the current and future generations. By backing the Rwanda-Peru draft resolution, nations would move closer to reversing the trend of destruction of ecosystems caused by plastic pollution. Globally, the plastic crisis has come with dire consequences and any meaningful intervention would require a binding treaty, and not half-hearted effort. Figures show that at least two million plastic bags are used every minute around the world. On average, a plastic bag is used for just 12 minutes – but takes up to 1000 years to decompose. Today, on average, a person consumes 43kg of plastic a year – a mind-boggling increase of over 2000 per cent from 2kg in 1974. Recycling efforts have also been frustratingly slow, with just 9 per cent of plastics globally being recycled, while the world’s leading plastic manufacturers are set to increase production by a third. To reverse this unacceptable trend, the world must speak with one voice and embrace the most holistic proposal on the table – the one sponsored by Rwanda and Peru.
