Page 42 - Plastics News Issue November - 2024
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
World leaders seek binding plastic pact
Speaking to an intergovernmental panel in Colombia, UN
Secretary-General António Guterres warned that plastic
could overtake fish in the ocean by 2050.
e are choking on plastic,” declared November in Busan, South Korea. The urgency
UN Secretary-General António Gu- to reach an agreement by the end of 2024 was
Wterres, addressing a panel of interna- reinforced in the Pact for the Future, signed by
tional negotiators in Cali, Colombia. Tasked with UN Member States in September.
creating a binding global agreement to tackle
plastic pollution, the panel heard Mr. Guterres Mr. Guterres praised Peru and Rwanda for their
warn of the consequences of inaction. pivotal role in proposing a global solution at the
UN Environment Assembly in 2022.
“Each year, humanity produces over 460 million
metric tonnes of plastic,” he said. “Half of it is The proposal acknowledged the devastating ef-
designed for single-use purposes – used once fects of plastic on both ecosystems and human
and tossed away. By 2050, there could be more health, a concern shared by communities global-
plastic in the ocean than fish.” ly. “Plastic pollution is everywhere – all around us
and even inside us – from our seas to our blood,
The push for an international agreement reflects to our brains,” Mr. Guterres noted.
rising public demand worldwide for concrete so- Source – Packaging Gateway
lutions to the plastic crisis.
The current summit in Colombia is part of a se-
ries of negotiations, with a final round set for late
42 PLASTICS NEWS November 2024
