{"id":29154,"date":"2024-09-07T19:44:07","date_gmt":"2024-09-07T14:14:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=29154"},"modified":"2024-09-07T19:44:08","modified_gmt":"2024-09-07T14:14:08","slug":"india-tops-plastic-pollution-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/07-09-2024\/india-tops-plastic-pollution-rankings","title":{"rendered":"India Tops Plastic Pollution Rankings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>According to a new study published in the journal Nature, India has secured the top spot as biggest plastic polluter in the world, releasing<strong> 9.3\u2009million tonnes (Mt) <\/strong>annually.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key highlights of the study<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The study defines plastic emissions<\/strong> as materials that have moved from the managed or mismanaged system (controlled or contained state) to the unmanaged system (uncontrolled or uncontained state \u2014 the environment).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The plastic pollution from India<\/strong> amounts to roughly <strong>one-fifth<\/strong> of global plastic emissions.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s waste generation rate is approximately<strong> 0.12\u2009kilograms per capita per day.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The global plastic waste emissions<\/strong> were at <strong>52.1\u2009Mt per year in 2020.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>While <strong>littering <\/strong>was the largest emission source in the <strong>Global North<\/strong>, uncollected waste was the dominant source across the Global South.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>2nd and 3rd <\/strong>biggest plastic polluters are <strong>Nigeria, with 3.5 million tonnes<\/strong> of emissions, and <strong>Indonesia, with 3.4 million<\/strong> tonnes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Furthermore, high-income countries have higher plastic waste generation rates, but most have 100 per cent collection coverage and controlled disposal, the study highlighted.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"b6c0cd\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"692\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/09\/top-10-plastic-polluters-1024x692.webp\" alt=\"top 10 plastic polluters\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-29155\" style=\"--dominant-color: #b6c0cd; width:462px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/09\/top-10-plastic-polluters-1024x692.webp 1024w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/09\/top-10-plastic-polluters-300x203.webp 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/09\/top-10-plastic-polluters-768x519.webp 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2024\/09\/top-10-plastic-polluters-jpg.webp 1366w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns of Plastic Pollution<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Plastics are hard to eradicate due to their <strong>slow decomposition rate<\/strong> in natural ecosystems.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Plastics break down into their smaller units called <strong>microplastics,<\/strong> which find their way across the planet, from the depths of the Pacific Ocean to the heights of the Himalayas.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>BPA or Bisphenol A<\/strong>, the chemical which is used to harden the plastic contaminates food and drinks, causing alterations in liver function, fetal development in pregnant women, the reproductive system and brain function.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Plastic, which is a petroleum product, also <strong>contributes to global warming<\/strong>. If plastic waste is incinerated, it releases toxic fumes and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Plastic waste <strong>damages the aesthetic value of tourist destinations,<\/strong> leading to decreased tourism-related incomes and major economic costs related to the cleaning and maintenance of the sites.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Reasons for India&#8217;s high plastic pollution\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Inadequate waste management infrastructure: <\/strong>Data from 2019-20 shows that 50% of the total plastic waste in the country (34.7 lakh TPA) remained unutilised, leading it to pollute air, water and soil.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Data gap: <\/strong>The Public Account Committee observed from CAG\u2019s 2022 audit findings that many state pollution control boards (SPCBs) did not provide data on plastic waste generation for the period 2016-18 and there were inconsistencies in data shared by urban local bodies (ULBs) with SPCBs.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Recycling inefficiencies: <\/strong>The existing recycling system is largely informal and unregulated, leading to low-quality recycled plastic and limited environmental benefits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Global Efforts In Tackling Plastic Waste<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>London Convention:<\/strong> The<strong> 1972<\/strong> Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Clean Seas Campaign:<\/strong> The United Nations Environment Programme launched the Campaign in <strong>2017. <\/strong>It became the largest global campaign to raise awareness on plastic pollution and marine litter.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Basel Convention: <\/strong>\u00a0In <strong>2019,<\/strong> the Basel Convention was amended to include plastic waste as a regulated material.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Convention contains three main entries on plastic wastes in <strong>Annex II, VIII and IX <\/strong>of the Convention. The Plastic Waste Amendments of the convention are now <strong>binding <\/strong>on <strong>186 States.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India\u2019s Efforts In Tackling Plastic Waste<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR):<\/strong> The Indian government has implemented EPR, making plastic manufacturers responsible for managing and disposing of the waste generated by their products.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022:<\/strong>\u00a0 It prohibits manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of plastic carry bags having thickness less than <strong>120 microns.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Swachh Bharat Abhiyan:<\/strong> It is a national cleanliness campaign, which includes the collection and disposal of plastic waste.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Plastic Parks:<\/strong> India has set up Plastic Parks, which are specialized industrial zones for recycling and processing plastic waste.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Beach clean-up drives: <\/strong>The Indian government and various non-governmental organizations have organized beach clean-up drives to collect and dispose of plastic waste from beaches.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>To tackle the challenge of plastic pollution there is a need for behavioral change and strengthening of the institutional system for the <strong>collection, segregation and recycling of plastic waste.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Under the <strong>UN Environment Assembly Resolution 5\/14<\/strong>, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) is responsible for delivering a <strong>legally binding global plastics treaty by the end of 2024.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.downtoearth.org.in\/waste\/india-tops-plastic-pollution-rankings-emitting-a-fifth-of-global-plastic-waste\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>DTE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to a new study published in the journal Nature, India has secured the top spot as biggest plastic polluter in the world, releasing 9.3\u2009million tonnes (Mt) annually.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29154"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29156,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29154\/revisions\/29156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}