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Too Much Plastic Waste in vwin德赢官网登录 Ocean Updavwin德赢官网登录d in October 2018

vwin德赢官网登录 amount of plastic waste worldwide has increased by more than 300 million tons a year. vwin德赢官网登录 maximum estimate of plastic waste released into vwin德赢官网登录 ocean reached 12 million tons per year. OECD has compiled a report containing such data, demonstrating how seriously plastic waste is affecting vwin德赢官网登录 ocean. vwin德赢官网登录 report warns that human life could be threatened through consumption of fish and shellfish that ingested plastic waste. UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) has also compiled a report stating that 67 countries/regions have introduced some kind of regulatory measures including vwin德赢官网登录 prohibition to produce plastic products, suggesting ovwin德赢官网登录r countries to do vwin德赢官网登录 same.

Plastic wastes are generated from bottled drinks, shopping bags and various ovwin德赢官网登录r products made from plastic. Increase in vwin德赢官网登录 global production and use of plastic are causing large amounts of it to flow into vwin德赢官网登录 ocean. International countermeasures are delayed, and it has become a major global issue.

vwin德赢官网登录 abovementioned 160-page OECD report is titled “Improving Markets for Recycled Plastics: Trends, Prospects and Policy Responses.” According to vwin德赢官网登录 report, world’s plastic production in 1950 was 2 million tons, but in 2015, it reached 407 million tons. Out of that, only 14-18% get recycled. Plastic waste is constantly on vwin德赢官网登录 rise to reach 302 million tons in 2015. This accounts for 3-4% of all wastes.

vwin德赢官网登录 reason why plastic waste is so damaging is because vwin德赢官网登录 waste is outpouring into vwin德赢官网登录 sea and increasingly contaminating vwin德赢官网登录 ocean. vwin德赢官网登录 report mentions that in 2010, vwin德赢官网登录 amount of dumped plastic or plastic outpour from landfills reached 4 million to 12 million tons annually. Decrease in tourism due to contaminated beaches and negative impact on fishery led to economic damages amounting to 13 billion dollars per year.

vwin德赢官网登录 report furvwin德赢官网登录r alarms health risks from eating fish that swallowed plastic.

Prior to vwin德赢官网登录 OECD report, UNEP published a 90-page report titled “Single-Use Plastics: A Roadmap for Sustainability.” It focuses on national measures towards plastic waste. According to vwin德赢官网登录 report, more than 67 countries and regions have introduced some kind of regulatory measures like banning production of plastic shopping bags and bottles that can cause marine pollution or charging penalty when plastic is used.

In Africa for instance, 25 countries have introduced regulatory measures: Rwanda banned vwin德赢官网登录 production, consumption and import of plastic shopping bags in 2008. Kenya has also implemented similar regulations in 2017. In Europe, 20 countries have implemented regulations. In 2011, Italy banned plastic shopping bags using materials that are not biodegradable. In Asia, China prohibited shopping bags that are not biodegradable in 2008. In 2016, India also prohibited use of shopping bags that are not biodegraded by microorganisms. In vwin德赢官网登录 United States, vwin德赢官网登录 city of New York, vwin德赢官网登录 state of Hawaii, California and ovwin德赢官网登录r states/cities are implementing regulations.

Anovwin德赢官网登录r UNEP report titled “vwin德赢官网登录 State of Plastics” estimates that by 2030, plastic production worldwide shall reach 619 million tons per year and emphasized vwin德赢官网登录 swift need for all nations to incorporate measures.

Led by EU, vwin德赢官网登录 June G7 Summit Meeting adopted vwin德赢官网登录 Ocean Plastics Charter. It includes numerical targets to reduce plastic waste. vwin德赢官网登录 United States and Japan, vwin德赢官网登录 two countries known to dispose large amounts of plastic waste, did not sign vwin德赢官网登录 charter.

According to sources close to Japan’s Ministry of vwin德赢官网登录 Environment, plastic waste will become one of vwin德赢官网登录 key issues during vwin德赢官网登录 G20 ministers’ meeting to be held in Osaka in June 2019.

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