There will be no agreement on global production, recycling and waste management of plastics. Negotiators are now leaving the meeting in Geneva empty-handed.
Every minute of every day, every week of every year, the equivalent of a garbage truck full of plastic is dumped into the sea. Every minute! And if we do nothing, this figure will only increase. According to estimates, if we do not stop plastic emissions, today's 11 million tonnes of plastic emissions per year will increase to 37 million tonnes by 2040.
Plastic, overfishing, global warming and fighting over resources. Despite several urgent problems, oceans and marine resources are the most underfunded of the UN's sustainability goals. At the ocean conference in Nice, countries will now try to agree and find funding to protect and preserve the world's oceans.
We explore the plastic pollution crisis in the Philippines, focusing on the widespread use of disposable plastic sachets. These sachets are difficult to recycle and significantly contribute to environmental degradation, especially in rivers and oceans. Research indicates that the river flowing through Manila may account for up to 6% of all plastics entering the oceans.
Our planet relies on the oceans as climate regulators. At the same time, the effects of our emissions are most evident in the oceans. Today, eutrophication, climate change, ocean acidification, and invasive species are some of the challenges the oceans face.
