2023-06-05 10:33:33
The United Nations designates June 5 as World Environment Daywhich in 2023 has the motto: No plastic pollution. One more opportunity to value the world where we live and that we are determined to destroy overexploiting aquifers, contaminating all kinds of natural environments or talking indiscriminately forest masses.
If urgent measures are not taken, the 11 million metric tons of plastic currently estimated to reach the ocean each year will triple in the next twenty years.
This would mean that in 2040 would be dumped each year into the oceans between 23 and 37 million metric tons of plastic.
This World Environment Day is a call to end plastic pollution.
Every year more than 400 million tons of plastic are produced in the world; a third of that plastic is used only once.
Every day, more than 2,000 garbage truckloads of plastic are dumped into our oceans, rivers and lakes.
The consequences are catastrophic.
Microplastics find their way into the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe.
Plastic is obtained from fossil fuels. The more plastic we produce, the more fossil fuel we burn, and the more we aggravate the climate crisis.
But we can find solutions.
Last year, the world community began to negotiate a legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution.
It’s a promising first step, but we need everyone’s collaboration.
A new report from the United Nations Environment Program says we could reduce plastic pollution by 80% by 2040 if we take immediate steps to reuse, recycle, redirect and diversify to move away from plastics.
We must work together – governments, businesses and consumers alike – to break our addiction to plastics, champion zero waste and build a truly circular economy.
Together, let’s forge a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable future for all.
Antonio GuterresSecretary General of the United Nations
What can we do?
Time is running out and nature is in an emergency situation. to keep the global warming below 1.5°C this century, we must halve the annual emissions of greenhouse gases by 2030. If we don’t act now, exposure to polluted air will increase by 50% in this decade, while plastic waste that flow into aquatic ecosystems could triple by 2040. But these will not be the only consequences. Many more will follow.
We need urgent action to address these pressing issues, making one earthand its focus on sustainable living in harmony with nature are as relevant as ever.
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