Global plastic pollution can be reduced by 80% by 2040 – UN
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The United Nations has stated that global plastic pollution can be reduced by 80% by 2040. This requires serious changes that are both “practical and affordable”. They could also bring trillions of dollars in benefits, according to a report by the United Nations Environment Program for 2023, The Guardian reports. The first step should be to stop inappropriate use of plastic, for example, from excessive packaging. The next steps suggested by the UN are to increase the reuse of plastics such as reusable bottles. Read also: Credit for the week: how much plastic we consume with food. PHOTO Photo: evrmmnt/Depositphotos The UN also suggests increasing the amount of recycling and replacing plastic with “environmentally friendly” alternatives. If these changes are implemented, plastic pollution could decrease to approximately 40 million tons in 2040, the organization predicts. If governments do not take such measures, the level of pollution will reach 227 million tons. The UN says these changes will bring trillions of dollars in benefits between now and 2040 by reducing the harm plastic causes to health, the climate and the environment. Currently, 22% of plastic waste is disposed of incorrectly: ending up in landfills, burning in open areas or entering the environment. According to experts’ estimates, since 1950, 4.9 million tons of plastic have accumulated in landfills and in nature. It pollutes the entire planet, from the top of Everest to the deepest oceans. Humans consume microplastics in food and water, and particles have even been found in blood and breast milk. We will remind you that during the Great War, Russia caused 2 trillion hryvnias of damage to Ukrainian nature. Read also: Scientists have figured out how to turn plastic into vanillin
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