World Environment Day 2023: Efforts to defeat plastic pollution

In 2023, World Environment Day is launched with the theme SOLUTIONS TO PLASTIC POLLUTION and the slogan “Beat Plastic Pollution” – Beat plastic waste pollution.

What is World Environment Day?

World Environment Day is also known as environmental protection day, written in English as World Environment Day. This is a special day where people around the world join hands to protect the environment and the Earth.

The United Nations Council chose June 5 as World Environment Day and assigned the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to organize it. On June 5 every year, on June 5, the Secretary General of the United Nations will officially announce the environmental protection message for each year and orient environmental issues and environmental protection worldwide.

The theme of World Environment Day 2023

With the slogan “Beat Plastic Pollution” – Beat plastic pollution, World Environment Day 2023 will be supported by the Government of the Netherlands and Ivory Coast as the host country.

2023 marks the 51st anniversary of World Environment Day, after the organization was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 and the first World Environment Day was held in 1973.

Since 2014, Ivory Coast has banned the use of plastic bags and switched to using recyclable, easily decomposable packaging. Ivory Coast’s largest city, Abidjan, has become a hub for startups seeking solutions to combat plastic pollution.

Plastic invades the entire Earth

Every year, more than 400 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide, half of which is produced for single use only. Less than 10% of it is recycled, each year about 19-23 million tons of plastic waste is dumped into the environment, mainly lakes, rivers and seas. Small plastic particles (Microplastic) with a diameter of only 5 mm – can mix into food, water and air.

Therefore, it is estimated that each person consumes more than 50,000 plastic particles per year. Single-use plastic is often thrown away or burned, harming human health and biodiversity, and seriously polluting the ecosystem.

According to a study by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), over 14 million tons of plastic invade and destroy ocean ecosystems each year, while plastic-related greenhouse emissions can account for up to 15% of total emissions. emissions are allowed to occur if we want to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

In Vietnam, pollution caused by plastic waste is becoming more and more serious, causing negative impacts on the environment, natural ecology, and human health.

Recognizing its role in solving the global plastic waste crisis, Vietnam, a responsible member of the United Nations, has committed to taking strong action to reduce plastic waste to protect the environment. marine and ocean ecology.

At many international forums, Vietnam has proposed initiatives and participated in global and regional cooperation mechanisms to address plastic waste. The Government is drastically implementing policies and solutions to effectively control environmental pollution caused by plastic waste, especially single-use plastic products and difficult-to-decompose plastic bags; Focus on minimizing use, increasing recycling and reuse, promoting the building of a circular economy and green growth.

According to the Project to strengthen plastic waste management in Vietnam signed and approved by Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh, the goal is to use 100% plastic bags and environmentally friendly packaging by 2025. Commercial centers and supermarkets serving daily-life purposes replace non-degradable plastic bags; Ensuring collection, reuse, recycling and treatment of 85% of generated plastic waste.