On the 50th anniversary of the date, the UN chooses plastic pollution as the central topic of discussion: the world produces more than 400 million tons of material a year
World Environment Day is celebrated every year on 5 June. The date was set by the United Nations (UN) in 1972 during the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, which became known only as the Stockholm Conference.
World Environment Day – June 5: Plastic pollution is the central theme of the United Nations to mark the date
This year, Côte d’Ivoire, in cooperation with the Netherlands (Holland), hosts the central events of the United Nations commemorations.
This year’s motto is “solutions to plastic pollution” and marks the 50th year of the commemoration organized by the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP.
The events promote the search for solutions to the problem by involving government, business and consumer initiatives.
Building a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable future
In a video message, Secretary General António Guterres defended building a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable future. For him the world must fight the problem of “catastrophic consequences”.
Guterres recalls that every year, more than 400 million tons of plastic are produced in the world. A third is used just once, and an amount of plastic equivalent to more than 2,000 garbage truckloads is dumped into oceans, rivers and lakes every day.
First step
Guterres also points out that the microplastics are present in food, water and the air. They constitute fossil fuels and impact the climate crisis with increased use, production and combustion.
In 2022, the international community started negotiations for a legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution. For Guterres this is one of the solutions, but he considers it a first step that requires everyone’s collaboration.
Ahead of World Environment Day celebrations, the UN chief cited a UNEP study that reveals the problem can be reduced by 80% by 2040 with reuse, recycling, reorientation and diversification measures to curb the use of the material.
Guterres calls for the defense of zero waste and the construction of a true circular economy.
Source: United Nations News
Source: Terra
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