In the forthcoming UN negotiations on an agreement to curb the flood of plastic waste, Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke push for “strong and binding regulations”. “Plastic pollution of the seas is an enormous problem that harms the environment, animals and people,” emphasized the Green Minister.
“When meeting the G7-Environment Ministers in April, we expressly set ourselves the goal of ending further plastic pollution by 2040,” said Lemke. “That will also give us tailwind in the upcoming round of negotiations in Paris.” Among other things, a ban on single-use plastic products is to be discussed The actual negotiations in the French capital are scheduled from Monday to Friday, preparatory consultations have already taken place this weekend.
Plastic in the blood!
Global plastic production – mostly based on petroleum – has doubled within 20 years. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a total of 460 million tons of plastic were produced in 2019. Two-thirds of that amount is thrown away after one or few uses. Only ten percent are recycled. Without countermeasures, plastic production could triple again by 2060.
Millions of tons of plastic end up in the environment and thus also in the sea every year, often in the form of microscopically small particles, so-called microplastics. This can penetrate not only into the digestive tract, but also into the bloodstream of living beings. The effects have not yet been fully explored. “Plastic damages human health, accelerates social injustice, destroys biodiversity and fuels the climate crisis,” the environmental protection organization Greenpeace summarized the situation.
You can now find them almost everywhere: microplastics
According to a report by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), global plastic pollution can be reduced by 80 percent by 2040. All resources are already available for this. According to the UNEP, however, far-reaching political and market-economy changes towards a circular economy are a prerequisite.
Mehr Recycling?
The German Association of the Chemical Industry (VCI) and the Association Plastics Europe Germany (PED) demanded the introduction of binding recycling quotas from the Paris conference. This requirement would increase global demand for recycled materials, it said.
One is determined to decouple the plastics industry from the consumption of fossil resources, assured PED general manager Ingemar Bühler. In order for plastics to continue to be used sensibly in the future, they would have to be recycled and used in the cycle for as long as possible. “Plastic waste is a valuable resource and must not end up in the environment,” explained VCI Managing Director Wolfgang Große Entrup. “If collected and recycled consistently, they can be an important source of raw materials for new products.”
wa/sti (afp, dpa)