Written by: Farah Al Hattab, (Lead Plastics Campaigner at Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa, based in Beirut, Lebanon) and Mohamed Kamal (Public Health Engineer and Director of Greenish Egypt, expert in plastics work over the past 7 years, based in Cairo, Egypt) As the world gathers in Busan, South Korea for the fifth and final session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-5), Middle East and North African (MENA) countries stand at a critical juncture. This pivotal meeting, from 25 November to 1 December, aims to finalize a legally binding global treaty to tackle the scourge of plastic pollution, and our region’s leaders must seize this opportunity to demonstrate leadership and commitment to environmental stewardship. Why is there a plastic crisis? Plastic pollution has reached crisis levels worldwide, with devastating impacts on our oceans, wildlife, and human health. Our region, with its extensive coastlines and rich marine biodiversity, is particularly vulnerable to plastic pollution, especially those whose livelihoods depend on the sea. Even worse, microplastics have been found in human blood, placentas, breastmilk, and other vital organs. The massive plastic problem is not driven by societal…
Why MENA Countries Cannot Recycle Their Way Out of the Plastic Crisis, and What They Can Do About it
November 29, 2024
