Government of the Republic of Fiji
Government of the Republic of Fiji
10/16/2024 | Press release | Archived content
PS FOR ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE DR SIVENDRA MICHAEL'S SPEECH AT THE FIJI NATIONAL PLASTIC...
The Resident Representative of the UNDP Pacific - Ms. Munkhtuya Altangerel, Senior Officials from UN Trade and Development - Dr. Diana Barrowclough
Dr. Henrique Pacini,
Colleagues and Friends
Bula Vinaka to you all.
It is an honor to stand before you all today at the first ever Fiji National Plastics Symposium hosted by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change alongside the UN Trade and Development, and the United Nations Development Program.
First of all I express a big vinaka vakalevu to everyone in the room and online today. An even bigger vinaka vakalevu to those that have travelled into Fiji to attend this event.
We are here to talk about plastics. Plastic has added much value to our lives. Take a second to look around the room. Plastics are ubiquitous. As a material it is difficult to match.
Global plastic production has increased exponentially since the 1950s, reaching about 460 million tonnes in 2019. The continuing growth of the global annual production of primary plastic is currently on course to reach over a billion tonnes in 2050. Recycling rates are forecasted to remain unchanged at 6% of total plastics use.
While waste management is expected to improve, advances will not keep pace with the growth of plastic waste, 617 million tonnes in 2040, up from 360 million tonnes in 2020, resulting in 119 million tonnes of mismanaged waste in 2040. Leakage of plastics to the environment will continue to increase amplifying adverse environmental and health impacts.
The stock of plastics in rivers and oceans will almost double from 152 million tonnes in 2020 to 300 million tonnes by 2040.
Of concern as well is the forecast that the plastics lifecycle will emit 2.8 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent of greenhouse gas emissions annually by 2040. This will account for 5% of global emissions primarily driven by the production and conversion of plastics.
Plastics are being produced and consumed at unsustainable rates that grow exponentially from year to year. Plastics with short-lived applications have seen the most growth and this has led to increasing levels of waste and pollution. Plastic pollution that travels beyond national borders, posing a risk to human health and the environment, including our moana. These are our vital life support systems.
Millions of metric tons of plastic pollution are entering our oceans every year, leaving a legacy of environmental impacts for future generations. Plastics have already been found at every level of biological organization and every ecosystem on the planet; from human blood to embryos to ice caps in polar regions.
Without more ambitious approaches at the global level, the proliferation of plastic production, use and waste will further expand by 70% by 2040.
In response to the scale and magnitude of the plastic pollution problem at the global level, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) unanimously adopted a historic resolution to develop a new, legally binding instrument on plastic pollution by the end of 2024.
The ongoing negotiations to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution provide a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a treaty that addresses the full life cycle of plastics starting from the production of primary plastics. A treaty that is framed around human rights, human health and the health of the environment. A treaty that recognizes the threats posed by the triple planetary crisis, climate change and biodiversity loss.
While plastic pollution remains a problem at the global level these challenges are often amplified in small island developing states such as Fiji. Fiji, like many other small island countries are net importers of plastics and are highly dependent on imported packaged goods.
Aside from an increase in the import of plastics, we are seeing a noticeable increase in domestic manufacturing driven by increased local demand as our economy and lifestyles rapidly modernise. The success of our modern economy is predicated on the success of the tourism industry. Post COVID tourism numbers are at record levels.
However, tourists generate significantly higher amounts of waste per capita than residents, about 7 times more in Fiji according to some estimates.
We are faced with the seemingly insurmountable challenge of managing increased volumes of plastic pollution. We have lacked an economy of scale and our plastic waste volumes fall short of a critical mass that warrants the economic investments this sector urgently needs.
The Hon Prime Minister has termed it 'a ticking time bomb'. Our vulnerabilities as small island states are laid bare. Social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities with small, narrow base economies always in a state of recovery from the last natural disaster.
Plastic pollution has become a significant threat to our small islands, magnifying the challenges we face in dealing with the triple planetary crisis. Plastic pollution directly threatens the self-determination and sovereignty of our nations, impacting future generations. Plastic pollution exacerbates the already declining fish stocks from overfishing by creating entire dead zones in our oceans.
The projection that there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050 is already becoming our reality. Plastic wastes are hemorrhaging into our fragile natural environments, typified by a low resilience to natural disasters.
Ladies and gentlemen we have heard the cries of our people. A cry for help. A cry for change.
It is in recognition of this that I stand before you all today to say in no uncertain terms that my Ministry is committed to taking ambitious action to reduce plastic pollution. However, we cannot do this alone. We need to work together to chart a course forward that navigates the treacherous waters of politics, policy, profits, economics, infrastructure and egos. A course steered toward our north star which is an environment free from the cancer of plastic pollution.
My vision is for Fiji to be positioned as a pioneer in sustainable development by adopting targeted interventions, encouraging stakeholder engagement, utilizing creative solutions, and adopting both a precautionary approach and a waste hierarchy approach to mitigate the negative effects of plastic pollution.
My vision has been well reflected in the recently launched National Development Plan 2025-2029 and 2050 vision which calls for a need to strengthen legislation focusing on sustainability and introduce penalties for breaches as well as adopt appropriate technology, implement incentives for proper waste management systems, create awareness, and improve collaboration among stakeholders.
Ladies and gentlemen, I implore everyone in the room to engage in constructive dialogue over the course of the next few days to chart this course together.
Dr. Henrique Pacini,
Colleagues and Friends
Bula Vinaka to you all.
It is an honor to stand before you all today at the first ever Fiji National Plastics Symposium hosted by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change alongside the UN Trade and Development, and the United Nations Development Program.
First of all I express a big vinaka vakalevu to everyone in the room and online today. An even bigger vinaka vakalevu to those that have travelled into Fiji to attend this event.
We are here to talk about plastics. Plastic has added much value to our lives. Take a second to look around the room. Plastics are ubiquitous. As a material it is difficult to match.
Global plastic production has increased exponentially since the 1950s, reaching about 460 million tonnes in 2019. The continuing growth of the global annual production of primary plastic is currently on course to reach over a billion tonnes in 2050. Recycling rates are forecasted to remain unchanged at 6% of total plastics use.
While waste management is expected to improve, advances will not keep pace with the growth of plastic waste, 617 million tonnes in 2040, up from 360 million tonnes in 2020, resulting in 119 million tonnes of mismanaged waste in 2040. Leakage of plastics to the environment will continue to increase amplifying adverse environmental and health impacts.
The stock of plastics in rivers and oceans will almost double from 152 million tonnes in 2020 to 300 million tonnes by 2040.
Of concern as well is the forecast that the plastics lifecycle will emit 2.8 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent of greenhouse gas emissions annually by 2040. This will account for 5% of global emissions primarily driven by the production and conversion of plastics.
Plastics are being produced and consumed at unsustainable rates that grow exponentially from year to year. Plastics with short-lived applications have seen the most growth and this has led to increasing levels of waste and pollution. Plastic pollution that travels beyond national borders, posing a risk to human health and the environment, including our moana. These are our vital life support systems.
Millions of metric tons of plastic pollution are entering our oceans every year, leaving a legacy of environmental impacts for future generations. Plastics have already been found at every level of biological organization and every ecosystem on the planet; from human blood to embryos to ice caps in polar regions.
Without more ambitious approaches at the global level, the proliferation of plastic production, use and waste will further expand by 70% by 2040.
In response to the scale and magnitude of the plastic pollution problem at the global level, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) unanimously adopted a historic resolution to develop a new, legally binding instrument on plastic pollution by the end of 2024.
The ongoing negotiations to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution provide a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a treaty that addresses the full life cycle of plastics starting from the production of primary plastics. A treaty that is framed around human rights, human health and the health of the environment. A treaty that recognizes the threats posed by the triple planetary crisis, climate change and biodiversity loss.
While plastic pollution remains a problem at the global level these challenges are often amplified in small island developing states such as Fiji. Fiji, like many other small island countries are net importers of plastics and are highly dependent on imported packaged goods.
Aside from an increase in the import of plastics, we are seeing a noticeable increase in domestic manufacturing driven by increased local demand as our economy and lifestyles rapidly modernise. The success of our modern economy is predicated on the success of the tourism industry. Post COVID tourism numbers are at record levels.
However, tourists generate significantly higher amounts of waste per capita than residents, about 7 times more in Fiji according to some estimates.
We are faced with the seemingly insurmountable challenge of managing increased volumes of plastic pollution. We have lacked an economy of scale and our plastic waste volumes fall short of a critical mass that warrants the economic investments this sector urgently needs.
The Hon Prime Minister has termed it 'a ticking time bomb'. Our vulnerabilities as small island states are laid bare. Social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities with small, narrow base economies always in a state of recovery from the last natural disaster.
Plastic pollution has become a significant threat to our small islands, magnifying the challenges we face in dealing with the triple planetary crisis. Plastic pollution directly threatens the self-determination and sovereignty of our nations, impacting future generations. Plastic pollution exacerbates the already declining fish stocks from overfishing by creating entire dead zones in our oceans.
The projection that there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050 is already becoming our reality. Plastic wastes are hemorrhaging into our fragile natural environments, typified by a low resilience to natural disasters.
Ladies and gentlemen we have heard the cries of our people. A cry for help. A cry for change.
It is in recognition of this that I stand before you all today to say in no uncertain terms that my Ministry is committed to taking ambitious action to reduce plastic pollution. However, we cannot do this alone. We need to work together to chart a course forward that navigates the treacherous waters of politics, policy, profits, economics, infrastructure and egos. A course steered toward our north star which is an environment free from the cancer of plastic pollution.
My vision is for Fiji to be positioned as a pioneer in sustainable development by adopting targeted interventions, encouraging stakeholder engagement, utilizing creative solutions, and adopting both a precautionary approach and a waste hierarchy approach to mitigate the negative effects of plastic pollution.
My vision has been well reflected in the recently launched National Development Plan 2025-2029 and 2050 vision which calls for a need to strengthen legislation focusing on sustainability and introduce penalties for breaches as well as adopt appropriate technology, implement incentives for proper waste management systems, create awareness, and improve collaboration among stakeholders.
Ladies and gentlemen, I implore everyone in the room to engage in constructive dialogue over the course of the next few days to chart this course together.