资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

This op-ed by UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen was originally published on 9 February 2022 in The Times 

Reducing plastic use seems like one of the easiest environmental actions people can take. We re-use bags, put takeout coffee in our own mugs or recycle our plastic bottles, and feel good about ourselves. But it is not so simple. Plastic pollution is still causing immense harm to our planet.

There is no corner of the Earth, from mountaintop to sea trench, left unsullied by plastic. We see it everywhere: disposable bags drifting underwater, pale plastic imitations of jellyfish; crumpled and fading bottles strewn along roadsides; takeout dishes and shampoo bottles spilling from the guts of dead whales.

Chemicals in plastics can radically change the normal functioning of our hormones. Microplastics are posing threats to coastal communities where marine species are the main food. A 1 per cent decline in marine ecosystem services could cause an annual loss of $500 billion in global ecosystem benefits. Plastic is comprised of polymers, mainly from oil and natural gas. It is a huge driver of global warming.

We need a system change that addresses the full life cycle of plastics, from the extraction of raw materials to alternatives to improved waste management. We need to be innovative and eliminate products that are unnecessary, avoidable or problematic. Design products for reuse and recycling and ensure this happens. Remove hazardous additives. By doing this we could reduce the volume of plastics entering our oceans by over 80 per cent by 2040 and reduce virgin plastic production by 55 per cent. We could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent and create 700,000 additional jobs, mainly in the global south.

Nations have a chance to make this new economy a reality if they agree to start negotiations on a strong and comprehensive global agreement to tackle plastic pollution at the upcoming fifth meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) — the world’s highest decision-making body for the environment.