10 countries join UN Environment’s war on marine litter

Bali, Feb 23: The UN Environment on Thursday launched an unprecedented global campaign to elimite major sources of marine litter: microplastics in cosmetics and the excessive, wasteful usage of single-use plastic by 2022. Ten countries - Belgium, Costa Rica, France, Greda, Indonesia, Norway, Pama, Saint Lucia, Sierra Leone and Uruguay - have joined the the #CleanSeas campaign, launched at the Economist World Ocean Summit in this Indonesian island known for coral reefs.

The campaign urges governments to pass plastic reduction policies; targets industry to minimise plastic packaging and redesign products; and calls on consumers to change their throwaway habits — before irreversible damage is done to the seas. UN Environment head Erik Solheim, who launched the campaign here, said: “It’s past time that we tackle the plastic problem that blights our oceans.”

“Plastic pollution is surfing onto Indonesian beaches, settling onto the ocean floor at the North Pole, and rising through the food chain onto our dinner tables. We’ve stood by too long as the problem has gotten worse. It must stop,” he said.

According to the UN Environment, throughout the year, the CleanSeas campaign will be announcing ambitious measures by countries and businesses to elimite microplastics from persol care products, ban or tax single-use bags, and dramatically reduce other disposable plastic items. Apart from these 10 countries, DELL Computers, singer Jack Johnson, actor Adrian Grenier and media persolity dya Hutagalung are already on board.  (IANS)