Act, immediately, so as not to die suffocated by plastic. The Environment Day is dedicated to this emergency, celebrated all over the world with tens of thousands of initiatives but with a common slogan: "eliminate plastic pollution" and three watchwords: recycling, reuse and reduction. The Day, called by the UN, on June 5 has reached its fiftieth edition and on Saturday, at the end of a long session, the UN International Negotiating Committee (INC) ended, in which 175 countries participated, approving the realization of a draft agreement on the abatement of plastic that will be examined in November in Nairobi, with the aim of a final treaty by 2024.
Every year, humanity produces about 430 million tons of plastic, half of which are designed to be used only once. Of these, less than 10% is recycled, the UN points out, adding that it is estimated that every year 19-23 million tons end up in lakes, rivers and seas, almost as much as the weight of 2,200 Eiffel towers all together. Microplastics (up to 5 millimeters in diameter) make their way into food, water and air, and each person seems to consume more than 50,000 plastic particles a year, many more when inhaling is considered.
Pollution that could be reduced by 80% by 2040 if countries and companies make profound political and market changes using existing technologies, UNEP found in its latest report entitled 'Turning off the tap: how the world can end plastic pollution and create a circular economy', published before the Paris negotiations. The report points to solutions based on the 3 Rs: reuse (would allow for a 30% cut in pollution over the next 17 years), recycling (for a further 20% less and up to 50% by eliminating fossil fuel subsidies and strengthening guidelines to improve recyclability) and reorienting production (17% less using alternative materials). The shift to a circular economy would result in direct and indirect savings of around $4.500 trillion and a net increase of 700 billion jobs by 000. The costs for the recommended changes are significant but lower than what is spent in the absence of systemic change: $2040 billion per year compared to $65 billion per year. The stakes are high: annual plastic production has more than doubled in 113 years, reaching 20 million tons. It could triple by 460 if nothing is done.
