5 hours Ago By Rakesh Kumar
A multilateral plastic pollution convention is needed to cap global virgin plastic production, states the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Pacific Regional Report 2021. The report stated this was essential to establish global standards for the design of safe plastics, and provide scientific, financial and technical assistance to develop tailored national plastic pollution prevention action plans and policy tools. “Pacific leaders across the region have been highly influential in advocating for the preservation of the natural environment,” the report stated.
“However, fragmented governance strategies and approaches do not adequately address emerging and urgent pollution concerns such as plastic litter and microplastics in the region.” It said that a commitment to the number and type of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) varies between countries across the region. “Despite a regional push to prioritise and address the issues connected to MEAs, several factors such as lack of resources and technical skills have led to less than one-third of all required reports having been submitted since 2015.
“Implementing obligations set out under MEAs is rarely reflected in country-level documents and despite the requirement to incorporate them into national legislation where they are not specifically addressed, there is no national legal obligation to comply with the requirements.” The report stated Pacific leaders had introduced several policies, legislation and frameworks to restrict the import, production and leakage of waste, especially plastic material..
