We need to turn off the fossil fuel tap that produces plastic and its resultant pollution and other harm to humans and the rest of life on our blue planet. Cleaning up the ocean and the beaches is helpful. However, it will never adequately address this issue if we don’t prevent plastic pollution in the first place.
We have an exciting opportunity this year to help! In March 2022, nations of the world agreed to end plastic pollution by developing a legally binding agreement on plastic pollution by 2024. The goal is to reduce plastic pollution throughout the entire lifecycle of plastic, from its production to its disposal. To be effective, the Global Plastic Treaty must tackle the issue at its source. The extraction of fossil fuels that drive plastic production, in addition to the toxic chemicals that spew into the air during processing or burning, are smothering our blue planet.
Beyond the visible plastics pollution which can be seen by everyone, everywhere, the treaty must also address the threats that plastic chemicals pose to human health and our right to a healthy environment. The voices of frontline communities, where the worst environmental and human rights impacts from plastics are happening, need to be heard. Link here for more information about plastics and the Treaty process.
You can start to help right now!
Together, we can make a real difference! We can make sure that national leaders and stakeholders follow through on their commitments to address the harms of plastic and protect human health and life with whom we share our blue planet home.
One of the most powerful ways to help is to reach out directly to your national decision makers by email, a brief letter, or a call, and let them know how strongly you feel about this issue. Your personal action will make a difference!
- 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 keep pushing for upstream measures like reduced plastic production in Ottawa!
- You can further multiply your impact by rallying friends and colleagues to help add their voices. Please share this information with them and amplify this opportunity on social media.
- Let your national leaders know that you care about this massive issue and want to help create a better future. Below are some key points you can convey to your leaders. Just copy and paste any or all of the information listed below into an email or letter and send it today!
Ask your national leaders to make sure that the Global Plastics Treaty:
- 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 on the public!
Additional ways to help through petitions
- Click here to demand a strong Global Plastics Treaty (available in 6 languages!). We’ve collaborated with Break Free From Plastics and other sponsors of this petition for many years; The more signatures added to this petition, the stronger their advocacy efforts will be with international decision makers in Ottawa and beyond.
- We are collaborating with OnlyOne on another petition that will be delivered directly to international decision makers to help make sure they take strong action now! Click here to sign.
- Scientists can sign. The scientists’ declaration is an initiative of the Environmental Investigation Agency, the Centre for International Environmental Law, and 15 multidisciplinary scientific experts from around the world. If you are a scientist, please share this with your colleagues.
- Organizations can sign. If you work at or are associated with an organization or club, please have them sign in support of a strong treaty. The more youth-led and youth-focused organizations that sign on, the better!
- Businesses can sign. The Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty is convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and WWF. Share this with business leaders in your community.
Some of the best resources
For further information & involvement, please visit:
- 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.