Kenya: Delegations from different countries have gathered in Kenya for a landmark treaty to fight global plastic pollution. The talks were held in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
The President of Kenya, Mr. William Ruto, stated on the first day of the discussion that time is running out to reach a deal before the end of 2023, with a deadline set for March 2022.
“I urge all the negotiators to recall that 2024 is only six weeks away and are only two other meetings to go,” Mr. Ruto remarked.
Pollution results from over 400 million metric tonnes of plastic waste produced yearly. The goal of the representatives convened at the headquarters of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) is to tackle this issue.
According to the UNEP, less than 10 percent of plastic waste was recycled, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature said that the ocean receives approximately 14 million metric tonnes of waste.
Over 2,000 delegates are attending the four-day meeting, including representatives from the oil and gas industry, environmental organisations, and civil society groups.
Kenya always showed leadership in this environmental cause taking significant steps in banning the production, sale, and usage of sing-use plastic bags.
“The vast majority of countries are eager to advance the negotiations to get the job done,” observed Ms. Pamela Miller, co-chairperson of the International Pollutants Elimination Network, a global public interest group.
“On the other hand, a small group of like-minded countries of mainly major fossil fuel, petrochemical, and plastic exporters like Saudi Arabia and Russia, are actively attempting to take us backwards,” Ms. Miller added.
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