World Environment Day is celebrated annually on 5 June and encourages awareness and action for the protection of the environment.
This year the theme of World Environment Day is “Solutions to Plastic Pollution”. Secretary General Guterres emphasized in his video speech that over 400 million tons of plastic are produced globally every year, with one-third of them being used only once; there are equivalent to 2000 garbage trucks loaded with plastic dumping plastic into rivers, lakes, and seas every day.
He also pointed out that”microplastics are ubiquitous in the food we consume, the water we drink, and the air we breathe; In addition, as plastic is a fossil fuel product, so the more plastic is produced, the more fossil fuels are burned, and the climate crisis is becoming increasingly severe.
Faced with such catastrophic consequences, Guterres cited the latest report released by the Environment Agency in May this year as saying, “If immediate action is taken to reuse and recycle plastic, adjust practices, and use diverse materials other than plastic, plastic pollution can be reduced by 80% by 2040.
Other United Nations agencies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization, also support countries in negotiating agreements through intergovernmental negotiating committees. A report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization at the end of 2021 shows that in 2019, 12.5 million tons of plastic products were used in animal and plant production and 37.3 million tons in food packaging in the agricultural value chain; It is estimated that by 2030, the global demand for the greenhouse, plastic film and silage film will increase by about 50%.
However, existing data also indicates that only a small portion of agricultural plastics are collected and recycled, while the majority are buried or buried, which has a negative impact on ecosystems, biodiversity, and human health.
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