WHEN: 23 February 2022 I TIME: 14:00 - 16:00 (Bangkok Time) I REGISTER Here
Background
The EU has committed itself to building greener and more sustainable societies and economies. This requires a great transition in how we live and work, consume and produce. The SWITCH-Asia SCP Facility contributes to this commitment in various ways, one key issue being global plastics proliferation and pollution.
According to a recent study by the Stockholm Resilience Center, we have surpassed a level where the global amount of chemicals released into the environment, also in the form of plastics, is safe to human health and nature. To illustrate the size of the plastics challenge, the total mass of plastics globally exceeds the total mass of all living mammals – and it is projected to triple again by 2050. Clearly, current plastic production and consumption patterns and their growth trajectory are unsustainable. A systemic shift to circularity is required to reduce environmental, human health and climate impacts. Activities that have been proven effective for other materials with detrimental side effects can be adapted while combatting plastic pollution – combining international commitments and visible change simultaneously for consumers and producers. The EU is working towards this transformational change, as part of its EU Green Deal as well as the Plastics Strategy.
The Workshop
This workshop is scheduled in the context of engagement work the SWITCH-Asia SCP Facility is doing to support thinking towards a proposed Global Agreement on Plastics (GAP). In the coming months, states gathered for UNEA-5.2 in Nairobi will decide whether a negotiation process on such an Agreement is to be initiated. If agreed, an Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee (INC) will be established to work out the details of the agreement. More than 100 governments have expressed their interest in supporting the start of negotiations.
In this important interactive workshop, current challenges of plastics governance in Asia and globally will be discussed, and participants' insights and experiences will inform the SCP Facility’s future path on this key issue. SWITCH-Asia would also like to further develop perspectives and knowledge on the topic as well as increase momentum around solution-finding together with a wider group of partners and stakeholders.
WATCH THE VIDEO
