Plastic pollution is one of the most visible testimonies of the anthropogenic havoc caused to the planet. As per the recent UNEP Report, approximately 400 million tonnes of plastic waste are produced every year of which only 9 percent is recycled and the vast majority of the rest accumulates in landfills or the natural environment. Further, every year, an estimated 11 million tonnes of plastic enter the world’s oceans. The rising plastic pollution has posed a debilitating impact on the environment in the following ways:

• Soil and water pollution: Chlorinated plastics can release harmful chemicals into the soil, which then seeps into groundwater or surrounding water bodies, and the ecosystem.
• Contributes to greenhouse gas emissions: About 8 percent of the world’s oil production goes to manufacturing plastics. The level of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production, use and disposal of conventional fossil fuel-based plastics is forecast to grow to 19 per cent of the global carbon budget by 2040.
• Disruption of ecosystems: Plastics can cause disruption of the ecosystems. For instance, the root systems of mangroves get adversely affected by plastic pollution in the sea. Plastics are also contributing to the destruction of coral reefs.
• Impact on humans: Microplastics tend to accumulate in organs like lungs, livers, spleens and kidneys. They have the potential to cause metabolic disturbances, neurotoxicity, and increased cancer risk in humans.
• Marine pollution: The level of microplastics in oceans is set to grow 50-fold by the end of the century raising the risk of widespread extinction of marine life in the most polluted areas, according to a report by the World Wide Fund (WWF). The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a well-known example of marine plastic waste.
• Threat to biodiversity: Plastic pollution has been an additional stress factor pushing the marine population towards extinction, especially in hotspots. As per the WWF, already 88% of marine species studied have been negatively impacted by plastic pollution.
• Vehicle for invasive species: Floating plastic waste, which can survive for thousands of years in water, serves as mini transportation devices for invasive species and disrupts habitats.

The Basel Convention is the only global, legally binding instrument that addresses plastic pollution, and regulates the transboundary movement of plastic waste. The recent measures that have been taken to tackle plastic pollution are as follows:

• In the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2), in Nairobi, a resolution was passed to end plastic pollution and forge an international legally binding agreement by 2024.
• The Global Plastic Action Partnership was convened by the World Economic Forum (WEF) to create a unified platform to champion the transition to a circular economy model for plastic production.
• The WEF’s Uplink innovation crowd-sourcing platform is running the Global Plastic Innovation Network Challenge for innovative alternatives to plastics.
• Plastic-Free Rivers and Seas for South Asia (PLEASE) is an ambitious $50 million project to fight plastic pollution across all eight countries of South Asia, supported by the World Bank, Parley for the Oceans, and South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP).
• India has pledged to join the UN Environment’s Clean Seas Campaign, which seeks to turn the tide on marine litter.
• India has also pledged to ban all single-use plastics by 2022. For this, India has passed the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 and introduced the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility.

Managing plastic pollution requires multi-stakeholder involvement and sustained efforts at various levels including plastic production, regulation of its use, disposal etc.