Australian Government declares its support for legally binding global plastics treaty

September 14, 2021

Karen Sweaney

The Australian Government has called for an international global agreement on marine plastic pollution with its declaration of support for a legally binding global plastics treaty welcomed by the Australian Marine Conservation Society.

Federal Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley joined calls for a new global agreement on Marine Plastic Pollution while addressing two major international meetings.

On Saturday, Minister Ley released a statement announcing Australia had endorsed a global ministerial statement and a new Pacific Regional Declaration on the Prevention of Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution and its Impacts.

The Pacific Declaration urges all United Nations Member States at the Fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly to support the establishment of a committee to negotiate a new binding global agreement covering the whole life cycle of plastics.

The Declaration calls for discussions on the agreement to consider the need for financial and technical support mechanisms to support plastic pollution reduction efforts across the globe, as well as consideration of financial assistance for Small Island Developing States in particular.

The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) stated that a global treaty on plastics is essential to truly stop plastic pollution at the source.

Shane Cucow, Plastics Campaign Manager at AMCS notes “with the equivalent of a dump truck’s worth of plastic entering the ocean every minute, and many plastics lasting for centuries in marine environments, we are on track to have more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050.

“We welcome Australia’s leadership in supporting a legally binding global agreement, with meaningful global targets for reducing plastic pollution and funding to help all nations big and small face the crisis.

“While voluntary initiatives have been helpful, and some states have taken action such as banning single-use plastics, overall the action across the globe has been fragmented and slow.”

Cucow added “this is a global problem, and we are all responsible. It will require consistent and decisive action from all the nations of the world to clean up our oceans and save our wildlife from death by plastic.”

Minister Ley advised “ensuring our shared oceans are clean and healthy is both a national and regional responsibility for Australia as we face an international tide of eleven million tonnes of plastic entering the world’s oceans each year.

“We need an urgent global response to stem the flow of plastics into our oceans. I look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with our Pacific neighbours and the international community as we approach the United Nations Environment Assembly meeting in February 2022.”

Cucow however said that while the declaration was welcome, Australia could go further and set an example for other nations adding “we urge the Australian government to show the world their commitment to a binding, effective global plastics treaty by co-sponsoring the draft resolution to begin negotiations in February 2022.”

About the author

Karen Sweaney

Editor, Australasian Leisure Management

Artist, geoscientist and specialist writer on the leisure industry, Karen Sweaney is Editor of Australasian Leisure Management. Based in Sydney, Australia, her specific areas of interest include the arts, entertainment, the environment, fitness, tourism and wellness.

She has degrees in Fine Arts from the University of Sydney and Geological Oceanography from UNSW.