UN weighing 'zero tolerance' plan for plastic pollution

A plan for “zero tolerance” of plastic pollution of the oceans may be agreed upon by nations at a UN environment summit.

Governments were asked to move towards a legal treaty, banning plastic waste from entering oceans.

Vessels are prohibited from dumping plastic overboard, however, there is no international law against plastics entering the sea from land.

According to experts, ocean plastics are a subject for a global treaty as they present a large-scale threat.

Delegates in Nairobi carved the way for the UN’s environment ministers meeting next week and are said to be in “broad agreement on the need for tougher action to combat the plastics crisis.”

The delegates are currently setting up a working party in order to explore options for global action, to tackle plastic waste and micro plastics.

The Paris climate agreement

In the deal, the framework of reporting emissions cuts and agreeing on long-term goals is legally binding. However, the national actions themselves are voluntarily determined.

According to environmentalists, receiving more accurate information on just how much plastic is flowing into the sea and from what sources would be a major step in the process.

The UN has committed to substantial reduction of such waste by 2025 but a resolution led by Norway said that the long-term aim must be for zero waste whatsoever.

According to Norway, the cleaning up of existing plastic from beaches is better value for money, as well as better for the environment than some of the large-scale cleanup experiments currently in the mid-Pacific, which it fears could have damning effects on wildlife.

This is especially important as “abrasion breaks down large plastics into very harmful micro plastics,” it said.

The conference will also hear that stronger leadership and coordination is required, either from a strengthened UN Environment Programme, or a brand new UN plastics agency.

According to the Norwegian government, the compilation of an assessment of exactly how much waste is ending up in the sea from their territory and admits that this will be a challenge.

“There are many questions to be solved. Should there be a legally binding instrument prohibiting plastic from the land?” asked a source close to the talks.

“If not, what other sort of overarching action should there be? We are grappling with this huge issue in its early stages.”

China, which is currently ranked as the world’s largest plastics polluter, is said to be cautious about being bound by global rules.

Other big global polluters such as Indonesia and India are believed to be generally supportive of the resolutions.

Prime minister of India, Narenda Modi, recently applauded the cleanup of plastic from a beach in Mumbai and said:

“It is our duty to protect the environment for our future generations.”

Eirik Lindebjerg, from WWF, said that the Nairobi meeting could prove to be a turning point in the crisis.

“The treaties on climate change and biodiversity were initiated in this forum – so it has a track record of making things happen.

“Plastics is one of those issues that clearly needs global agreement, with maybe eight million tonnes ending up in the ocean.

“Plastic flows are huge and damaging; they flow across borders. We absolutely have to stop allowing plastics into the ocean – and this meeting looks like it could prove a very important start.”

Plans to discuss the pollution of air and water are also in the pipeline.