UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday that by 2050, the amount of plastic in the oceans could exceed the number of fish.
“Each year, humanity produces over 460 million metric tonnes of plastic,” Guterres stated during a meeting at the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity (COP16) taking place in Cali, Colombia. He cautioned that “By 2050, there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish.”
“We are choking on plastic,” he emphasized while addressing an intergovernmental group working to develop a legally binding international instrument aimed at tackling plastic pollution both on land and in water. He reminded attendees that half of the plastic produced is intended for single use, meaning it is utilized once and then discarded.
According to the UN chief, countries gathered in Colombia to negotiate a treaty focused on ending plastic pollution must aim for an “ambitious, credible, and fair” agreement that considers the needs of communities worldwide, including approximately 20 million waste pickers.
Highlighting the global demand for action against plastic pollution, the UN Secretary-General further urged negotiators in Cali to finalize an agreement by the end of 2024, following member states’ reaffirmation of their commitment in September when they adopted the Pact for the Future.
A fifth and potentially final meeting regarding this framework to combat plastic pollution is scheduled to take place in Busan, South Korea, from November 25 to December 1. This follows discussions in Colombia after several cycles of multilateral meetings since member states agreed in 2022 to pursue a global solution to this pressing issue.
