Russia has advocated for a comprehensive approach to tackling plastic pollution, emphasizing the need to address all aspects of the plastic lifecycle, according to Ilya Razbash, an advisor to the head of the Federal Agency for Water Resources (Rosvodresursy). Speaking at the Global Ecumene Forum, Razbash stressed that Russia supports the mandate outlined in UN Environment Assembly resolution UNEA-5/14 for the upcoming UN treaty on plastic pollution.
The future UN treaty on plastic pollution, including marine plastic litter, should be a key legally binding agreement with a purely environmental focus, imposing obligations and responsibilities on all parties, according to Rosvodresursy.
The session on the new UN treaty was held within the framework of the Fourth Global Ecumene Forum, taking place in Moscow from September 16 to 18, 2024. This forum is a respected platform for discussing key issues of long-term sustainable development of the global economy and developing new approaches to implementing the main objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change. The forum's mission is to integrate Russia's position into the global sustainable development agenda. The results of the forum are presented annually at the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP). In 2023, the forum attracted 700,000 viewers from 87 countries.
Participants in the Moscow session included Deputy Head of Rosprirodnadzor Tatyana Kuznetsova, Head of the Department of Environmental Affairs at OPEC Mohammed Hassani Nejad Pirkuhi, and Head of the UN Environment Programme office in Russia Vladimir Moshkalo, among other experts.
Approximately 275 million tons of plastic waste are generated worldwide each year, with up to 12 million tons ending up in oceans, causing damage to marine ecosystems estimated at $13 billion.
While modern life is inconceivable without polymeric materials, completely abandoning the use of plastics in everyday life and the economy is impractical. Experts believe it is essential to focus on developing recycling technologies, the rational use of plastics in all its forms, preventing its release into the environment, and collecting, sorting, and recycling accumulated plastic waste.
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