A group of like-minded countries has now launched a High Ambition Coalition to drive forward implementation of Resolution 5/14 “End Plastic Pollution: Towards an International Legally Binding Instrument”. As announced at UNEA5.2, Norway and Rwanda will jointly chair the coalition.
Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke commented: “The pollution of our oceans with vast quantities of plastic is a massive environmental problem that is not only harming animals and plants but also humans. In Nairobi we worked hard with like-minded countries from all over the world to take a crucial, globally agreed step to tackle the deluge of plastic: a mandate for an intergovernmental negotiating committee to draw up an agreement, within a few years, on reducing marine litter and environmental pollution. With this initiative we are continuing our efforts with the same sense of urgency and taking the activities of the like‑minded countries to a new level. Following on from our G7 and G20 presidencies in 2015 and 2017, the G7 Ocean Deal also puts this issue high on the agenda as one of the three planetary crises. This is a clear sign that we have to make even more effective use of the synergies between climate action, nature conservation and resource efficiency.”
Plastic pollution has reached unprecedented levels worldwide. Without concerted, global measures and an internationally binding framework in the coming decades, these levels are projected to rise significantly. All plastics contain chemicals – from base polymers to additives and processing agents. Many of them are considered potentially hazardous to human health and the environment.
