Plastic Pollution Poses Significant Global Challenges

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Plastic pollution poses significant and urgent global challenges, impacting ecosystems, human health, and economies.
With 6mn tonnes entering oceans every year and over twice that amount polluting land, mismanaged plastic waste is severely disrupting ecosystems, harming biodiversity and threatening human health and livelihoods across the world.
Plastic pollution is also a significant contributor to climate change, responsible for an estimated 1.8bn tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
Microplastics have seen entering the food chain through seafood, salt, and even drinking water, potentially affecting human health. Incineration of plastics releases harmful toxins and contributes to air pollution.
Plastic waste in oceans harms marine life through ingestion, entanglement, and habitat destruction.
Microplastics disrupt aquatic food chains. Plastics degrade into microplastics, affecting soil health and agricultural productivity.
Wildlife often ingests or becomes trapped in plastic debris, leading to injuries or death.
Plastic production and disposal generate greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming.
Recently, the World Economic Forum's Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) reached 25-country milestone, becoming the largest global programme tackling plastic pollution, now impacting over 1.5bn people.
Seven new countries - Angola, Bangladesh, Gabon, Guatemala, Kenya, Senegal, and Tanzania - join forces to scale systemic plastic waste manage
Landfill emissions such as methane – over 80 times more potent than CO2 in the short term – can be drastically reduced through GPAP's systemic approach to waste management.
By promoting circular systems, GPAP aims to contribute to cut emissions from the plastics sector while fostering economic growth through green jobs.
It is estimated that circular solutions could create up to 6mn jobs globally by 2030, with the plastics sector driving much of this transformation.
This marks a pivotal milestone in the fight against plastic pollution and solidifies GPAP as the largest global initiative dedicated to tackling its root causes and advancing a circular plastics economy worldwide.
The growing community will continue to drive systemic solutions to key challenges such as advancing sustainable materials, strengthening recycling systems, tackling greenhouse gas emissions, and more.
The seven new countries bring fresh momentum and new perspectives to GPAP's mission of amplifying impact, enabling best practice sharing and strengthening national and international efforts to reduce plastic pollution. Central to GPAP's model are National Action Roadmaps – tailored, country-specific strategies informed by the network's collective experience.
These have already mobilised $3.1bn in investments, created safer jobs for informal waste workers and supported countries in achieving measurable progress on sustainability and climate resilience.
“Reaching this 25-nation milestone is not just a celebration of numbers, it's a testament to the growing global determination to tackle one of the world's most pressing challenges,” said Clemence Schmid, Director of GPAP, World Economic Forum.
“These partnerships are not just symbolic, they represent concrete commitments to rethinking how plastics are produced, managed and reused. Together we are charting a path towards a circular plastics economy that benefits people and planet.”
To mitigate plastic pollution, combined global efforts coupled with innovative recycling technologies, policy reforms, and public awareness campaigns are essential.
Reducing single-use plastics, promoting circular economies, and developing biodegradable alternatives can certainly help tackle this growing crisis.

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