The call comes as countries continue to negotiate an international treaty on plastic pollution ahead of World Environment Day (June 5).
Mr. David R. Boyd - UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment and Mr. Marcos Orellana - UN Special Rapporteur on Toxic Substances and Human Rights said that plastic production has increased exponentially. multiplier in recent decades and every year worldwide more than 400 million tons of plastic are produced.
Dangerous "plastic cycle"
Experts have outlined the stages in the "plastic life cycle" and its encroachment on people's right to a clean environment, life assurance, health, food, water and an adequate standard of living. human.
Plastic production relies almost exclusively on fossil fuels. This process releases toxic substances, which are dangerous to humans and nature. After use, 85% of single-use plastics end up in landfills or the environment.
Meanwhile, other “false and misleading solutions” only exacerbate the threat of plastic waste. Plastics, microplastics and harmful substances are found in the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe.
The study by UN experts also mentions that disadvantaged communities are most affected when exposed to pollution and waste related to plastic. They are especially concerned about groups of subjects who suffer environmental injustices due to their high exposure to plastic pollution, including many people living in the "sacrifice zone", locations near health facilities. facilities such as open-pit mines, oil refineries, steel mills and coal-fired power plants.
Plastic pollution also exacerbates climate change, an often overlooked issue, experts say. For example, plastic particles found in the ocean limit the ability of marine ecosystems to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
Conduct treaty negotiations
Mr Boyd and Mr Orellana said: “We are in the midst of a toxic tidal wave as plastic pollutes the environment and negatively impacts people's right to live in a pollution-free environment according to the environment. number of ways in the life cycle of plastic”.
According to experts, over the past two years, the United Nations General Assembly has adopted landmark resolutions recognizing the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, which will promote promote and guide initiatives to tackle plastic pollution.
They also welcomed progress toward an internationally binding treaty to reverse plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) predicts that the amount of plastic waste entering aquatic ecosystems could amount to between 23 and 37 million tons per year by 2040.
The talks took place this past week in Paris (France), following the first session held last year in Uruguay.
In his opening remarks, UNEP head Inger Andersen stated: “We cannot recycle our plastic waste our way out of this mess. Only elimination, reduction, full lifecycle access to plastics, transparency and equitable transition can lead to success.”
