Ramblings of a 70-year old: oceans

Thursday, November 3, 2022

India imposed a ban on single use plastics but results are not showing even after three months

The ban on single use plastics imposed by India includes items like plates, cups, cutlery, straws, packaging films and cigarette packets. However, these are still in rampant circulation across the country and worsening pollution levels. Ravi Agarwal is the director of environmental NGO Toxics Link. He told a media outlet - "Though the central government has issued the ban, the implementation lies with the respective state governments and their state pollution control boards. The state's actions are not up to the mark; there seems to be lack of effective implementation strategy from the states to enforce the ban fully.” India uses about 14 million tons of plastic every year. The government has not issued any advisory on banning the use of SUPs. Neither are there any penalties. Therefore, SUP products continue to be available as usual. Why is India's single-use plastic ban failing? An official of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) revealed that in spite of the ban, the use of SUP items, specifically thin carry-bags, continues unabated in the low-end section of the economy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear that his government would be actively working towards a crackdown on plastic in its second term in power. However, plastic waste generated across the country daily is 26,000 tons. Out of this, more than 10,000 tons remain uncollected. One drawback is an organized plastic waste management system. In its absence, there is widespread littering and plastics end up in rivers, oceans and landfills. These pose threats to the lives of wildlife species. A senior official of CPCB says - "… we have directed strict enforcement of the ban, with a focus on street vendors, vegetable markets and local markets, along with checks at borders and inspection of concerned industries." It is necessary to improve waste segregation… and ramp up the infrastructure for recycling.

Saturday, August 27, 2022

Treaty to protect marine life on the high seas

There was no unity of thought on the subject of according protection to marine life on the high seas. Diplomats from around the world did meet but were unable to arrive at a consensus. The subject was about an agreement on a United Nations treaty meant to protect marine life on the high seas. The meetings went to a fifth round without any outcome and the U.N. headquarters in New York had to suspend the activities. These had been going on for two weeks and environmentalists had expected positive results that would go a long way to close a gap in international marine protection measures. There is no international treaty of the high seas and such a treaty is essential to grant protection to the biodiversity in two-thirds of the world's ocean. These are areas outside of national jurisdictions. Such a treaty would help protect marine lives. Nations Fail to Reach Deal on UN Treaty to Protect Sea Life. The global goal is to earmark 30 percent of ocean area as marine sanctuary.

The health of the ocean and climate change are interlinked. The oceans absorb most of the excess heat but the duration of these heat waves are getting longer and more frequent. Livelihood of people in the Caribbean depend on the health of the ocean. This is what Janine Felson, Belize's ambassador to the United Nations revealed. She said - “The ocean cannot afford further delay.” The talks centered on various aspects like how to share benefits from marine life, establish protected areas, prevent harm from human activity on the high seas and extend assistance to poor countries to acquire the skills and means for exploring the oceans. The failure to reach a deal was a disappointment for Greenpeace and others who had been campaigning but the talks will resume next year unless a special emergency session is called before the end of 2022. The goal is to protect at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. In the words of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Monica Medina - "We cannot let the tides and currents push us back. We must keep going.”