{"id":32698,"date":"2024-11-25T17:04:20","date_gmt":"2024-11-25T11:34:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=32698"},"modified":"2024-11-25T17:04:22","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T11:34:22","slug":"a-need-for-global-plastic-treaty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/25-11-2024\/a-need-for-global-plastic-treaty","title":{"rendered":"A Need for Global Plastic Treaty"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Environmental Pollution<\/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>More than 170 countries will converge in the Republic of Korea, to negotiate a new <strong>legally binding global treaty to end plastic pollution<\/strong>, including marine pollution.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Background: <\/strong>In 2022, the UN Environmental Assembly convened in Nairobi, to debate the global plastic crisis.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>175 nations voted to adopt a global treaty for plastic pollution\u2014agreeing on an accelerated timeline so that the treaty could be implemented as soon as 2025.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The negotiations are whether to<strong> agree to binding limits<\/strong> on certain classes of chemicals and on plastic production, or to<strong> settle on a package of funding <\/strong>aimed at improving trash collection and recycling.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Kuwait, Malaysia, and India have expressed <strong>resistance to stricter mandates <\/strong>and have instead proposed measures such as innovative waste management and sustainable plastic use.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>On the other hand, Rwanda, Peru and the European Union have proposed <strong>ambitious targets for curbing plastic pollution.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Need for the Treaty<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Plastic production<\/strong> has skyrocketed across the world in recent decades.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The annual global production of plastic doubled from 234 million tonnes (mt) in 2000 to 460 mt in 2019.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nearly half of this was produced in Asia, followed by North America (19%) and Europe (15%).&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Plastic production is expected to touch 700 mt by 2040, as per the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Slow Decomposition: <\/strong>Plastic takes anywhere from 20 to 500 years to decompose, and less than 10% has been recycled till now, according to a 2023 study by The Lancet.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Environmental Impact: <\/strong>Much of the plastic waste leaks into the environment, especially into rivers and oceans, where it breaks down into smaller particles (microplastic or nanoplastic).\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This has severely impacted the environment and health of living beings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Impact on Humans:<\/strong> Exposure to chemicals in plastic can cause endocrine disruption and a range of human diseases including cancer, diabetes, reproductive disorders, and neurodevelopmental impairment.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Climate Impact:<\/strong> In 2020, it generated 3.6% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with 90% of those quantifiable emissions coming from plastic production, which uses fossil fuels as raw material.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India\u2019s Position<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India does not support <strong>any restrictions on the production of polymers.&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Any restrictions are beyond the mandate of the UNEA\u2019s resolution adopted at Nairobi in 2022.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The resolution also includes a <strong>principle of national circumstances and capability <\/strong>to allow developing countries to follow their development trajectories.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India has also sought the<strong> inclusion of financial and technical assistance<\/strong>, and technology transfer in the substantive provisions of any final treaty.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>On the exclusion of harmful chemicals<\/strong> used for plastic production, India has said that any decision should be based on scientific studies, and the regulation of such chemicals should be regulated domestically.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There must also be an <strong>assessment of the financial resources<\/strong> needed for waste management as well as the availability of adequate, timely, and predictable financial resources.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>What is Plastic and Microplastics?<\/strong><br>&#8211; The word plastic is derived from the Greek word<strong> plastikos,<\/strong> meaning \u201c<strong>capable of being shaped or moulded.\u201d<\/strong><br>&#8211; Plastic refers to a <strong>wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials <\/strong>that use <strong>polymers<\/strong> as a main ingredient with their defining quality being their <strong>plasticity<\/strong> \u2013 the ability of a solid material to undergo permanent deformation in response to applied forces.&nbsp;<br>1. This makes them extremely <strong>adaptable, capable of being shaped as per requirement.<\/strong><br>&#8211; The basic building blocks of plastics are <strong>monomers, <\/strong>which are small molecules that can join together to form long chains called<strong> polymers through a process called polymerization.&nbsp;<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>Microplastics: <\/strong>Plastics break down into their smaller units called <strong>microplastics<\/strong> \u2013 officially defined as plastics <strong>less than five millimetres in diameter.<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>1. These microplastics find their way across the planet, from the depths of the Pacific Ocean to the heights of the Himalayas.<br>2. According to the most recent global estimates, <strong>an average human consumes at least 50,000 microplastic particles annually<\/strong> due to contamination of the food chain, potable water, and air.<br><br><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"570\" alt=\"What is Plastic and Microplastics?\" height=\"385\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXf00M6cRg6q4qT-CDbNPbbW6nWZLkc4CuZeE7d4Eh7HbQRkkj5k-W4X3BGkWXvdE99zxnCbsAC2Vpw_IErDBrPz1d78JKczqO6rdj6qJ-a4dsTCouRHHya74cYII64ntaOzsEJq2g?key=EyyOVcla0TrqOlFn7yT8Boso\"><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Plastic Waste by India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India is presently the<strong> biggest contributor to plastic pollution<\/strong> in the world, and releases 9.3 million tonnes of plastic waste every year which is almost 20 per cent of the global generation of plastic waste.<\/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>Ban on single-use plastics:<\/strong> India has banned the production, use, and sale of single-use plastics such as bags, cups, plates, cutlery, and straws in many states.<\/li>\n\n\n\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 Rules:<\/strong> India introduced the Plastic Waste Management Rules in 2016, which provide a framework for managing plastic waste through various measures, including recycling and waste-to-energy initiatives.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022: <\/strong>The guidelines on EPR(Extended Producer Responsibility) coupled with the prohibition of identified single-use plastic items.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It banned the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of carry bags made of virgin or recycled plastic less than seventy-five micrometers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>India\u2019s Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2024:<\/strong> It defines biodegradable plastics as not only capable of degradation by biological processes in specific environments but also as materials that do not leave any microplastics.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Rules specify that the makers of disposable plastic ware can label them as biodegradable only when they do not leave any microplastics behind.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Swachh Bharat Abhiyan:<\/strong> The Indian government launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, a national cleanliness campaign, which includes the collection and disposal of plastic waste.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Plastic Parks:<\/strong> The government 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\n\n\n<li><strong>India is a signatory to MARPOL (International Convention on Prevention of Marine Pollution).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The \u201cIndia Plastic Challenge \u2013 Hackathon 2021&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is a unique competition calling upon start-ups \/entrepreneurs and students of &nbsp; Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to develop innovative solutions to mitigate plastic pollution and develop alternatives to single-use plastics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-climate\/global-plastic-treaty-9686703\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More than 170 countries will converge in the Republic of Korea, to negotiate a new legally binding global treaty to end plastic pollution, including marine pollution.\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-32698","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\/32698","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=32698"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32707,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32698\/revisions\/32707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}