We know about it, we talk about it, and we’re aware of it: the plastic pollution!
Even if we do all of that, very little is being done to solve the issue, and is killing our planet. Experts came up with a prediction, saying that by 2050, Earth’s oceans will contain more plastic than fish.
The United Nations (UN), commissioned by the G20, released a plan of what we should do to stop plastic pollution.
Here is what you need to know.
The Change Within Us
Nowadays, around 11 million tonnes of plastic end up in oceans worldwide annually, as per a 2020 model from SYSTEMIQ and The Pew Trusts. And that’s not all.
That amount of plastic could soon triple and we would face the worst-case scenario. The policies and endless promises don’t help and the G20’s Osaka Blue Ocean Vision (a project that aims to stop any new plastic from reaching the oceans by 2050) seems so far away right now.
The UN, however, argues that Earth really needs a wholesale change in the plastics economy. That means we should start as soon as possible to go from a linear and wasteful system to a renewable and circular one in 2-3 decades.
New Goal, New Promises
According to the UN’s report, leading nations must make plastic pollution a bigger priority. Researchers explained that if we start adopting urgent and optimistic action on plastic pollution, we can decrease the litter destined for the world’s oceans by 82 % by 2040.
“Given this is unlikely, reducing the amount of plastic in the system should be a top priority for policymakers because waste management systems cannot scale quickly enough,” states the UN.
More Numbers
Global packaging, for example, is valued at between $80-120 billion annually. However, 95 % of that amount is spent as plastic waste and is such a shame.
Changing that behavior could save the companies a lot of money and bring peace to oceans. Not only developing new products which rely more on renewable materials and less on plastic, will make us better people, but it’ll also save Earth.
