Philippines adopts UN resolution to end plastic pollution

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has joined other nations in adopting a historic resolution at the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) to end plastic pollution and forge an international legally binding agreement by 2024.

The resolution starts the process to craft an agreement to end plastic pollution, addressing the full lifecycle of plastic products – from production, design to disposal. Endorsed by 175 nations last March 2 at the UNEA-5 in Nairobi in Kenya, it is based on three initial draft resolutions from various nations.

By the end of 2024, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) it established is expected to have already completed its work of drafting the agreement.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) will convene a forum by yearend, in conjunction with the first session of the INC, to share knowledge and best practices in different parts of the world. Once the INC work is comleted, UNEP will convene a diplomatic conference to adopt its outcome and open it for signatures.

“Today marks a triumph by planet earth over single-use plastics. This is the most significant environmental multilateral deal since the Paris accord. It is an insurance policy for this generation and future ones, so they may live with plastic and not be doomed by it,” said Inger Andersen, UNEP executive director.

Plastic production soared from two million tons in 1950 to 348 million tons in 2017, becoming a global industry valued at $522.6 billion and is expected to double in capacity by 2040.

Espen Barth Eide, UNEA-5 president and Norway’s climate and environment minister, said “plastic pollution has grown into an epidemic of its own.”

“Paradoxically, plastics are among the most long-lasting products we humans have made – and frequently, we still just throw it away,” he said, noting that the product can be used over and over again.