There is increased pressure from the public and media to reach a new plastic treaty. Investors, consumers, and regulators are hoping to get to an advantageous agreement for all involved parties.
Will UNEA 5.2 bring to the public attention the plastic issues, in a possible new Nairobi Agreement?
United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) brings together representatives of the 193 Member States of the UN, businesses, civil society, and other stakeholders to agree on policies to address the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
UNEA will reconvene on Monday for the resumed Fifth Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5), which will take place online and in Nairobi on 28 February – 2 March 2022.
The theme for UNEA-5 is “Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”. This highlights the pivotal role nature plays in our lives and in social, economic, and environmentally sustainable development.
UNEA-5 is an opportunity for the Member States to share best practices for sustainability. It will create momentum for governments to build on and catalyze impact on multilateral environmental efforts to protect and restore the natural world on which our economies and societies depend. UNEA 5.2 will focus on urgent issues, such as marine litter, nature-based solutions, green recovery, and chemical waste management.
Immediately after UNEA-5.2, the Assembly will hold a Special Session on 3 – 4 March 2022, which is devoted to the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the UN Environment Programme in 1972 (UNEP@50). The special session will be held under the theme “Strengthening UNEP for the implementation of the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
The secretariat notification on UNEA-5.2 and UNEP@50 is available here.
UNEA-5.2 will consider draft resolutions on several topics, using the following proposed clusters:
- marine/plastic litter;
- nature-based solutions and biodiversity;
- chemicals and minerals;
- green recovery and circular economy; and
- organizational and administrative matters.
There are many clues that make us believe that at Nairobi the negotiations will begin for a new UN Treaty on Plastic Pollution.
While researchers are trying to develop new types of plastic, created from biomass, it is hard to identify the true cost of the new materials, how expensive the transition will be, and how the impact on the environment will be.
It is not a battle we could lead from the comfort of our kitchen, that could be taken by a company or an industry, or that could be solved by some states that try to become sustainable. And it is not even about eliminating plastic altogether, but about a circular economy. In a circular economy, plastic is not a problem anymore, because it would end up reused and not in the oceans and lakes.
A new report by WWF, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Boston Consulting Group finds that a new international treaty on plastic pollution will benefit both the environment and business and would complement existing initiatives – accelerating global efforts to tackle the eradication of plastic pollution.
Read more about the pollution report here: https://www.ipsos.com/en/attitudes-towards-single-use-plastics
The survey, conducted by Ipsos for the Plastic Free Foundation in late 2021, included 20,513 responses from 28 countries.
Named Rising Tides: Global Opinions on Actions to Stop Plastic Pollution in 28 Countries, the global survey reveals that nearly nine in 10 people are supporting a UN plastic pollution treaty.
https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/RISING-TIDES-Final-11-Feb_R_IK.pdf
“We know people are extremely concerned about the growing plastic pollution crisis and in 2021, an estimated 140 million people globally took part in Plastic Free July, but individual action is not enough. There need to be clear and ambitious mandates and targets that reframe our relationship with plastics so that people’s health and that of the environment are not at risk from plastic pollution. The survey is a clear call by people from all corners of the world that they want their governments to act now,” said Rebecca Prince-Ruiz, Founder and Executive Director, Plastic Free Foundation.
The survey also found that 85% of respondents want manufacturers and retailers to be held responsible for reducing, reusing, and recycling plastic packaging. These demands are in line with a full lifecycle approach to the management of plastic pollution, which Peru and Rwanda have proposed to UN member states to consider ahead of a two-week-long negotiation starting 21 February with a decision to be made 1-2 March at the conclusion of the high-level segment of the UN Environment Assembly.
On February 9th, 2022, the Global Plastics Treaty Dialogues IV were convened and discussed UNEA 5.2 (What to Expect), Possible Outcomes and Expected Paths Forward on the Global Treaty, A Review of OPLN’s Country Dialogues, and Envisioning the Path Forward: A Global Treaty in 2022 and beyond. The report will soon be available here.
The business manifesto calling for a new treaty is open to new signatories at www.plasticpollutiontreaty.org. WWF, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and BCG are urging more companies to join the call. More and more businesses sign the treaty and call for a UN Treaty on Plastic Pollution.
As for other problems in the environment and sustainability sectors, there is no one solution that could solve the plastic crisis we live in. But baby steps that could be easily implemented in the next 15-20 years by all countries.
It seems that the UN should no longer ignore the issue and start making uncomfortable decisions for everybody.
Sources:
https://www.plasticpollutiontreaty.org/
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