Page 48 - Plastics News December2018

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

United Nations official launches Canada to pursue aggressive
campaign against plastic pollution strategy on plastic waste

N General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa anada’s federal,
Ulaunched a global campaign against plastic pollution, Cprovincial and
primarily to raise awareness among peoples around the territory leaders
world."I intend to leverage the capacity of the office of will work together
the president of the General Assembly to support ongoing on a plan for
global campaigns to beat plastic pollution," Espinosa ushering in a circular
told reporters at the UN Headquarters in New York.The economy for
campaign has two elements: reduction of plastic waste plastics. According
at the UN system; global advocacy in collaboration with to reports, the
member states and UN agencies for public awareness announcement
across the world. She expressed the hope that single-use came after the
plastic could be eradicated at UN premises. There has annual meeting of
already been a roadmap for in-house action, she said. the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.
Catherine McKenna, Canadian minister of environment
The campaign is a collaboration with the Group of Friends and climate change, spoke via teleconference with
led by Antigua and Barbuda, Norway and other member her provincial and territorial counterparts. During the
states as well as UN Environment and other relevant meeting, they agreed to work together to develop a
actors. Gaston Browne, the prime minister of Antigua strategy for zero plastic waste. According to a press
and Barbuda, said his country has put in place a ban on release, the strategy will mean ensuring plastic products
are designed for durability, reuse and recycling;
shifting responsibility for improvements in recycling
infrastructure to producers; expanding collection
systems; increasing responsible use and recycling of
single-use products; improving understanding of the
issue and solutions through research and innovation;
and taking action to remove marine plastics.
On the call, they agreed to continue to work over the
coming year with all levels of government, indigenous
communities, industry and other stakeholders to
develop an action plan to implement the strategy. This
initiative builds on the international Ocean Plastics
single-use plastic in the past two years and it worked well. Charter launched in June with a focus on ocean
Antigua and Barbuda is the first country in the Caribbean health and plastic pollution. McKenna said: “Plastic
to introduce such a ban, he said. "We want to use our pollution doesn’t know any borders. That’s why it’s so
example, our experiences to encourage other countries to important that we tackle this problem together. We
follow." He called on all countries in the world to introduce made important progress today with provinces and
a ban on single-use plastic. The prime minister announced territories to protect our oceans and reduce plastic
that there will be a grand concert in his country in April pollution in Canada. “With the longest coastline in
2019 to boost awareness of plastic pollution. Norway's the world and thousands of communities and wildlife
Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations that depend on our oceans, lakes and rivers, we need
to beat plastic pollution together to ensure a healthy
Mari Skare said the use of single-use plastic poses a threat and prosperous future.” According to the government,
to the oceans and to human health. "Fish eat plastics and the average waste thrown into the oceans by each
humans eat fish, so we have a problem."
Canadian is 706kg.

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