UN Chief Calls for Action to Curb Plastic Pollution

On Monday, UN Chief Antonio Guterres called on the world to beat and combat plastic pollution.

In his message on this occasion, the UN Chief said: "This World Environment Day is a call to beat plastic pollution. Every year, over 400 million tons of plastic is produced worldwide – one-third of which is used just once."

He continued: "The equivalent of over 2000 garbage trucks full of plastic is dumped into our oceans, rivers, and lakes. The consequences are catastrophic. Microplastics find their way into the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe."

He also emphasized that plastic is made from fossil fuels – the more plastic we produce, the more fossil fuel we burn, and the worse the climate crisis. But we have solutions

He noted that the global community began negotiating a legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution last year.

"This is a promising first step, but we need all hands on deck."

In the same context, Guterres said that we can reduce plastic pollution by 80% by 2040 – if we act now to reuse, recycle, reorient, and diversify away from plastics, citing a new report by the UN Environment Programme

He concluded his message by saying: "We must work as one – governments, companies, and consumers alike – to break our addiction to plastics, champion zero waste, and build a truly circular economy."