As we approach UNEA 5.2, there are two draft resolutions (decisions) on plastic pollution currently tabled for discussion at UNEA 5.2 in 2022 – one from Rwanda/Peru, and another from Japan. This document provides a textual comparison of the two draft resolutions.
For a decade, Vietnam has been repeatedly highlighted for its role in the international illegal wildlife trade, so it is encouraging to see the recent efforts taken by the Government to address its involvement; it is to be congratulated for the measures it has taken and the successes it has had domestically.
Unfettered growth of TCM poses a serious threat to biodiversity in Africa, all in the name of short-term profit. Any utilisation of threatened species in TCM could stimulate further demand, incentivise wildlife crime and ultimately lead to overexploitation.
The Montreal Protocol was created in 1987 to regulate the chemicals responsible for ozone depletion. Widely hailed as the world’s most successful international environmental treaty, it has phased out 99 per cent of all Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS), setting the ozone layer on the path to recovery.
The expected expansion of plastic production will emit greenhouse gases (GHG) equivalent to an estimated 56 Gt CO2e between 2015-50, representing 10-13 per cent of the entire remaining carbon budget. Addressing plastic production is therefore a climate priority and the adoption of a new global plastics treaty which promotes a circular economy for plastics and controls plastic production is a key climate strategy.
To stay well below 2°C and limit global warming to 1.5°C, the global community must take decisive action to reduce methane emissions from the energy sector and transition to alternative energy sources.