“We are choking on plastic,” UN Secretary General António Guterres said in a speech to a panel of international negotiators in Cali, Colombia. The panel, charged with creating a binding global agreement to tackle plastic pollution, heard Mr Guterres warn of the consequences of inaction.
“Every year, humanity produces more than 460 million tons of plastic,” he said. “Half of it is single-use: used once and thrown away. By 2050, there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish.”
The push for an international agreement reflects rising public demand worldwide for concrete solutions to the plastic crisis.
The current summit in Colombia is part of a series of negotiations, with a final round in late November in Busan, South Korea. The urgency to reach an agreement by the end of 2024 was reinforced in the Pact for the Future, which was signed by UN member states in September.
Mr Guterres praised Peru and Rwanda for their crucial role in proposing a global solution at the 2022 UN Environment Assembly.
The proposal recognized the devastating effects of plastic on both ecosystems and human health, a concern shared by communities worldwide. “Plastic pollution is everywhere – all around us and even within us – from our seas to our blood and our brains,” Mr. Guterres noted.
The international focus on plastic pollution reflects a significant shift towards environmental responsibility, spurred by public demand. Mr. Guterres described this moment as an opportunity to prove that “multilateralism, while not always easy, can deliver results for people, health and the environment.”
As representatives work through the complexities of the treaty, the need for an inclusive solution that recognizes the efforts of those most affected by the plastic waste stream has become clear.
Waste pickers, often from marginalized backgrounds, play a crucial role in plastic recycling, with the International Alliance of Waste-pickers noting that their work accounts for around 60 percent of all plastic recycled.
These workers, many of whom are climate refugees or survivors of social challenges, are crucial to reducing waste.
The UN Environment Assembly resolution UNEA-5/14 calls for protection of waste pickers within any coming treaty, recognizing their “significant contribution” to global recycling efforts.
This recognition highlights the vital but often undervalued role of waste pickers in global waste management, as countries increasingly look to them for sustainable solutions.
