OECS joins UN to fight plastic pollution
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) has joined the call of international negotiators for an ambitious, comprehensive, and all-encompassing United Nations treaty on plastics.
The call is for a treaty that addresses issues related to the whole lifecycle of plastics. It has been reported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) that between 70 to 95 percent of marine litter in the Caribbean Sea is from land-based sources, mostly plastics.
The BVI and all Caribbean countries are overly dependent on the sea, especially amid declining land-based resources throughout the region.
Speaking at the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee in Ottawa, Canada, Dr Joyelle Trizia Clarke, Minister for Environment and Climate Action, in St Kitts and Nevis, said to the delegates: “Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are considered the moral conscience and global voice on climate. The push for 1.5 to stay alive, the advocacy for the loss and damage fund led by Antigua must be brought to bear here in this conversation on plastics.”
This highlights the urgency of dealing with plastic pollution, especially for island nations. Furthermore, many waste and pollution issues are transboundary, which means that poor control and management in one country negatively affects neighbouring countries, potentially derailing their efforts at transitioning to blue economies.
This pollution not only destroys the marine ecosystem but also affects the economic activities of human beings depending on natural resources, which becomes a hurdle in the way of transitioning to sustainable blue economies.
In February 2022, at the resumed fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, a historic resolution (5/14) was adopted to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including pollution in the marine environment, with the ambition to complete the negotiations by the end of 2024, and a robust financial mechanism, which advances just transition and provides specific support provisions for SIDS.
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People in the Caribbean don’t care!
We are so poorly educated and have so little
Money that 90% of people here think that caring is a luxury for outsiders and wyppl.
That is the problem. People are desperate and the are stupid in the head. Governments so busy making money for themselves they have forgotten they are supposed to be for the people.
The systems America has imposed on us all is disgusting and destructive for all of us. Only Cuba have educated people.
@ Problem if you were educated you would have think your post over before you posted it, you can always the class of people when they post something,
Oh dear …
“if you were educated you would have think your post over before you posted it,”
You might have meant – “if you were educated you would have THOUGHT your post over before you posted it”? Maybe?
“you can always the class of people when they post something,”
You might have meant – “you CAN’T?? always TELL?? the class of people when they post something”? Maybe? or “you CAN always TELL/ASSUME/SMELL the class of people … ” Maybe??
I don’t know. It’s hard to tell. Either way, sad you don’t have anything to say about the substance of that post, and that you somewhat make the point about poor education levels holding us back.
There is this campaign to save the world from plastics — let me ask — who produces / utilizes/ the most plastics? The food /water and beverage companies —- noo??? Do we hear them campaigning against the USE of plastics?? In BVI they wanted to “ ban T Shirt / shopping bags” — what did the biggest supermarket do —? Introduced a plastic bag that is 10 times stronger than what they were getting rid of AND. Charging the customers.$0.15 for each one —-is this a REAL. place ?? — or is everyone there” pun B S ?”
Now this is something we can all do! Ban those styrofoam boxes! Let’s all recycle. This is positive people.