Posted on February, 26 2021

The governments of Germany, Ecuador and Ghana on 23 February 2021 pledged to hold a global meeting towards the end of the third quarter of this year to drive through plans to establish an international treaty to stop marine plastic pollution once and for all. The announcement was made at the Fifth Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5),  the world’s top environmental decision-making body attended by government leaders, businesses, civil society and environmental activists, which met virtually this week under the theme “Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”.
Responding to the news, Eirik Lindebjerg, Global Plastic Policy Manager, WWF-International, said:
 
“WWF welcomes the commitment from the governments of Ecuador, Germany and Ghana to champion the development of a global treaty to stop marine plastic pollution and commends them on taking the initiative to organise a global ministerial conference on plastic pollution later this year. This meeting will provide an invaluable opportunity for countries to advance the development of this treaty, which already counts on the support of approximately 70 governments, 50 businesses and more than two million people who called for a global agreement which would establish common targets and national action plans to address marine plastic pollution. Now is the time for all countries to turn these commitments into bold action.
 
A staggering 11 million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans every year, causing devastating effects to marine ecosystems, killing thousands of marine mammals - including endangered Hawaiian monk seals and Pacific loggerhead sea turtles - and contaminating our food chains, water and air. Unless urgent global action is taken, plastic pollution is set to double by 2030. Only a coordinated global response which holds to account both businesses and governments can put a stop to this scourge on our planet.”