New Delhi, A survey of around 19,000 respondents conducted in 19 countries shows that 80 per cent support cutting plastic production to save biodiversity and the climate. Around 80 per cent of the participants are concerned about the impact of plastic on the health of loved ones, according to the survey conducted by the independent environmental network Greenpeace International in January and February.
The survey collected responses from 19,088 participants from the UK, the UAE, Canada, India, Brazil, Egypt, Germany, Mexico, South Africa, Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, China, Malaysia, Austria, Norway and the US.
The survey shows strong support for cutting the production of plastic, with more than eight in 10 people (82 per cent), and for protecting biodiversity and the climate by reducing plastic production (80 per cent).
Nine out of 10 people (90 per cent) support a transition away from single-use plastic packaging to reusable and refillable packaging while 75 per cent support a ban on single-use plastic, Greenpeace International said.
Likewise, 80 per cent of people are concerned about the impact of plastic on the health of their loved ones and 84 per cent of parents are concerned about the impact on the health of their children.
More than half of all the plastic ever produced have been made since 2000 and, if the industry has its way, production could double within the next 10-15 years and triple by 2050, Greenpeace International said.
Plastics are exacerbating the climate crisis as 99 per cent of plastics are made from fossil fuels. Single-use plastics made in 2021 released greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the total emissions of the entire UK, and most of these emissions come from plastic production, it said.
“Therefore, we cannot tackle the climate crisis and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to align with the global target of limiting average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius without reducing the production of plastic,” according to Greenpeace International.
In March 2022, the UN Environment Assembly adopted a historic resolution to develop a global plastics treaty with an aim to reduce plastic pollution, including ocean pollution and microplastics, across the entire plastic life-cycle.
The resolution called for developing a draft treaty by the end of 2024.
Greenpeace International said the treaty should establish a target to reduce plastic production by at least 75 per cent by 2040 (from a 2019 baseline) to ensure the best chance of meeting the 1.5-degree Celsius target, protect biodiversity, and address the full life-cycle impacts of plastic.
It expressed hope that political leaders would confront the fossil fuel industry and represent the will of the people to protect human health, the climate, and biodiversity during the treaty negotiations.
