The urgency for a robust and just global plastics treaty has never been greater to combat planetary pollution and environmental injustices. Fossil fuel and petrochemical companies are poisoning our planet with plastic on an unprecedented scale. As our blue planet and people worldwide suffer, it’s time to turn off the fossil fuel tap that produces plastic in the first place.
Plastics are ubiquitous, found everywhere from Kazakhstan to California and in rivers across the globe. As they spread downstream and downwind, our ocean and its life – from sea turtles and whales to seabirds – are literally choking on plastic pollution. Plastics are also entering our bodies through microplastics in the air, soil, and the food we consume.
Ironically, despite their pervasiveness, plastics remain the hidden fossil fuels. Many people don’t realize that 99% of all plastics are made from oil, gas, and petrochemicals. Plastics are a major contributor to the climate crisis. Our society produces an astonishing 500 million tons of plastic annually – much of it for single-use or disposable packaging – and this figure is expected to triple in the coming decades. Without significant action, by the time a baby born today reaches adulthood, emissions from plastics will account for around 10% of all global carbon emissions.
Plastics direct connection to contributing to climate change and other forms of toxic pollution that harm both humans and the natural world throughout their entire lifecycle. From fossil fuel extraction to plastic production to waste disposal, humans also suffer greatly. It’s critical to recognize that these impacts are not distributed equally. Communities living near plastic production and disposal sites – often marginalized and without political influence – bear the brunt of the damage, despite being the least responsible for creating the problem.
Ask where the CEOs of major oil and plastics companies live, and you’ll find they are far removed from the toxic areas where their actions harm vulnerable people and communities.
We must address the immediate impacts of plastic pollution, and the efforts to develop a global plastics treaty offer a critical opportunity. Negotiators from around the world will soon gather to work on an agreement (called INC-5.2), and we can all help by ensuring our national leaders know we care and want a future free of plastic pollution. They need to also include environmental justice and Indigenous communities’ voices in the deliberations. In last year’s negotiations, those voices were abandoned by the treaty process. That must change!
We must also confront the deeper inequities within society, questioning and changing the systems of power and privilege. Too often, those in positions of power – at both corporate and governmental levels – prioritize profit over people and the health of our planet and future generations. Achieving environmental justice for all will require a sustained effort, including a commitment to social justice and racial equity throughout our lifetimes. Together, we can create a more just and sustainable future. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “…the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice” and that includes environmental justice.
Link here for more information about plastics and the Global Plastics Treaty process.
You can help now!
Together, we can ensure that national leaders and stakeholders uphold their commitments to protect the health of people and communities most harmed by the life cycle of plastic and also for the well-being of all life with whom we share our blue planet.
- Join the global movement of groups, businesses, and individuals who want a clean environment and a just society. Click here to get involved!
- You can amplify your impact by sharing this information with family and friends so they can get more informed and involved, too! Together, we can make a real difference!
One of the most effective ways to make an impact is by reaching out directly to your national decision-makers—whether through email, a brief letter, or a phone call—and expressing how strongly you feel about this issue.
- See if your country is a member of this High Ambition Coalition that is pushing for strong action. If they’re not yet a member, contact your national leaders today to urge them to join. If your country is already a member, thank them and ask them to get the job done.
Find your key country contacts: Click here!
- Tell your national leaders that you want them to be bold leaders on this issue. Below are key points you can share with your leaders. Simply copy and paste any or all of the information below into an email or letter and send it today!
Remember, the fossil fuel and petrochemical lobbyists are working hard to weaken any Global Plastics Treaty so your national leaders need to hear from you and others who care!
The following are key parts to include in the final treaty, or we risk having a weak international agreement. Ask your national leaders to fight to get them incorporated into the final agreement:
- Creates a safer and healthier blue planet for all life, safeguarding both our well-being and that of future generations.
- Is legally binding – Voluntary, “opt-in” approaches will not get us there!
- Includes specific deadlines to address the issues with a sense of urgency. Specifically, the treaty should put a cap on plastic production in the first place – Make sure the treaty keeps oil and gas in the ground!
- Accelerates the transition away from single-use plastics, focuses on reuse and refill.
- Phases out the most harmful chemical additives in the production and processing of plastics.
- Comprehensively addresses the issues facing frontline workers and communities across the plastics’ life cycle, from production to disposal. This includes putting a stop to international dumping of plastics; countries should not transport their plastic waste to other countries.
- Ensures a fair and equitable transition for affected workers in the plastics industry, with transparency of paramount importance.
- Rejects false solutions such as waste incineration, and chemical (or so-called “advanced”) recycling. These and other similar industry-supported efforts are a form of greenwashing and allow these corporations to continue business-as-usual plastic production. The best scientific information available should be utilized to formulate the treaty!
- Holds the highest-polluting corporations accountable. They’ve continued to perpetuate a planetary mess despite having full knowledge of their harm to society and our planet. Now they need to clean it up, and the expense should not be covered by the public!
Ask corporate leaders to make sure that they comprehensively address plastic pollution and environmental injustice:
- Contact the biggest polluters and your favorite companies to urge them to reduce their use of single use and disposable plastics.
- Tell them to support a strong Global Plastic Treaty!
- Demand that they take responsibility as corporate citizens and clean up their pollution. They must prevent harm to people and communities where they operate.
- Encourage them to collaborate with local youth and other community members to help guide them in becoming better corporate neighbors. Young people can offer valuable perspectives and play an active role in shaping a cleaner and safer future. Ensure they don’t just give young people “a seat at the table,” but also listen to their voices and engage in meaningful, collaborative dialogue that leads to lasting, impactful outcomes.
- Lastly, remind them to remember their humanity and do what’s right.
For additional ways to help, check out some of these resources
- GAIA’s Plastics Treaty page
- IPEN and StopPoisonPlastic.org
- Break Free From Plastics – Global Plastics Treaty Advocacy Toolkit
- Beyond Plastics on “chemical recycling”
- Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty – press release
- CIEL on fossil fuels and plastic
- Human Rights Watch: Questions and Answers
- Earth Law Center’s report, ‘Advancing Ocean Justice in the Global Plastics Treaty’
- The Story of Stuff and Break Free From Plastic video (only 3 minutes)
If you’re not yet on our email list/s, please sign up here for more updates and opportunities to help throughout the year.