The Government of Rwanda is pushing for the adoption of a global treaty to eliminate plastic waste to reduce its contribution to climate change.
If the plastics industry were a nation, it would be the world's fifth-largest in terms of greenhouse gas emission, experts have said. Plastics are threatening the ability of the global community to keep global temperature rise below 1.5°C, as greenhouse gases (GHG) are emitted throughout the plastic life cycle.
The ongoing expansion of primary plastic production is a significant driver of carbon emissions as the extraction, refining, and manufacture of plastics are all carbon-intensive activities according to experts.
In addition to greenhouse gas emissions during the production of plastics, which are mainly made from fossil fuel feedstocks, the incineration and recycling of plastics results in high levels of planet-warming emissions. Plastic pollution also disrupts several key climate-related processes on Earth, including the ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
The plastic and climate discussions at COP28 built on the momentum to develop an ambitious global plastics treaty to end plastic pollution considering the full life cycle of plastics. The treaty is expected to be adopted by 2024.
The idea to develop a global treaty to end plastic pollution was initiated by Rwanda, and later supported by Peru.
Juliet Kabera, the Director General of Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), stated that there is a need to "develop a global plastics treaty that is ambitious and considers the full lifecycle of plastics - from extraction to disposal."
"We owe it to ourselves and future generations."
In November, ahead of COP28, participants from around the world gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, to advance negotiations for a global treaty to end plastic pollution.
Rwanda is playing a key role in the negotiation of a new global plastic treaty.
Kabera said that in partnership with the Private Sector Federation, in 2021, a fund was established to manage plastic waste.
The fund created 1,300 green jobs.
Ever since the scheme was introduced, 1,500 tonnes of plastic waste from 24 drop-off points have been collected that would have otherwise gone to landfill.
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Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, who joined Rwanda's Ministry of Environment to discuss the critical climate impact of plastic production, said that a projected 20 percent of the carbon budget will be used by plastic production by 2040.
A carbon budget is a concept used in climate policy to help set emissions reduction targets in a fair and effective way.
"We need a global deal to beat plastic pollution. We need healthy ocean and coastal ecosystems to store carbon and build resilience to climate change. Yet 80 percent of all plastic currently ends up in the oceans, and plastic production is set to triple by 2060. There can be no adaptation in a sea of plastic," she said.
The international legally binding instrument, if adopted in 2024, could help to end plastic pollution by 2040.
The need for integrated plastics management is because about 12 billion tonnes of plastic waste will accumulate in the world's landfills and environment by 2050.
Research has found that 15 global policy interventions across the plastics lifecycle could reduce annual mismanaged plastics by 90 percent and reduce primary plastic production by 30 percent by 2040.
In 2019, Rwanda banned single-use plastics.
Rwanda is advocating a global multilateral fund that will finance efforts by countries to end plastic pollution by 2040.
The proposed fund is part of a global treaty on plastic pollution to end plastic pollution that is being drafted.
This story was produced with support, from MESHA and IDRC Eastern and Southern Africa Office, to science journalists covering COP28.
