{"id":57933,"date":"2021-04-27T00:00:23","date_gmt":"2021-04-27T05:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/selasite.azurewebsites.net\/?post_type=agenda&p=57933"},"modified":"2024-01-30T17:57:35","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T22:57:35","slug":"promoting-substitutes-and-alternatives-to-plastics-for-clean-waters-and-sustainable-economic-development-in-the-caribbean-basin","status":"publish","type":"agenda","link":"https:\/\/rmtsolutions.net\/sela\/en\/agenda\/promoting-substitutes-and-alternatives-to-plastics-for-clean-waters-and-sustainable-economic-development-in-the-caribbean-basin\/","title":{"rendered":"Promoting substitutes and alternatives to plastics for clean waters and sustainable economic development in the Caribbean Basin"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \n Introduction <\/span>\n <\/div>\n
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ore than a hundred years since the first breakthroughs in plastics, these have become ubiquitous in our lives: Plastic pens and scissors with plastic handles come in plastic blister packs, which we take home in plastic bags, and there we place them next to a computer and a cell phone, whose plastic cover encases a plastic circuit board. In much of our planet today, it can be hard to look in any direction without finding anything made of plastic. This material is extremely useful; it is also, unfortunately, greatly hazardous to our health, our livelihoods, our food system, and our natural environment, and increasingly so, as a century of waste accumulates in our landfills, oceans and streets. New research by UNCTAD has helped us understand the scale of the issue at hand: More than 336 million tons of plastics were traded in 2018 alone, representing about $1 trillion, a significant 5 percent of world trade. A key problem is that about 75 percent of all plastic produced in history has become waste,[1]<\/strong> showing the low waste disposal and recycling capacity of most countries. Furthermore, unless this is halted, plastics production is expected to quadruple in the next thirty years, largely due to industry growth in Africa, the Middle East and developing Asia.<\/p>\n

These problems particularly affect coastal areas, due to their dependence on sectors such as tourism and fishing\u2014sectors especially hurt by plastic bottles washing up on idyllic shores, by plastic bags and abandoned fishing nets choking valuable fish and reducing marine biodiversity, and by microplastics inserting toxins into the marine (and even terrestrial) food system. Island and coastal countries are especially vulnerable to these dangers due to, among other reasons, limited space to dispose of waste. However, there is an opportunity for the countries in the region, by reducing dependence on plastics and developing emerging industries of alternatives to plastics, to protect themselves from these environmental hazards to which they are especially vulnerable, to protect their main sources of livelihood, and to create useful employment and economic development.<\/p>\n

Some alternatives may provide accessible opportunities for the sustainable development of Latin American and Caribbean nations. These include glass, ceramics, natural fibres (coconut, palm), pulp (paper, cardboard), and even organic waste such as bagasse and corn husks. Furthermore, new alternatives are constantly under development, and may provide the region with the opportunity to enter the production of entirely new materials based on pre-existing raw materials.<\/p>\n

These alternatives may not develop unless political leadership is exercised towards this end. The successful development of industries to produce alternatives to plastics (whether raw materials or finished products) would benefit from consistent trade policies, industrial circularity, effective waste management policies, and incentives for the production of sustainable substitutes. Coordination of private enterprise, civil society and all levels of government, as well as global coordination, is necessary if the nations of the region expect to join the market for alternatives to plastics.<\/p>\n

Aware of the dangers faced and the opportunities available, some nations in the region have already implemented measures that contribute to the transition of their economies towards alternatives to plastics. For example: Barbados banned certain single-use plastic objects, including containers, cutlery and straws, as well as some types of plastic bags; Belize issued regulations concerning plastic bags, straws, and containers made from expanded polystyrene; Guyana banned the import and use of expanded polystyrene objects. Such measures help create conditions where the development of alternatives becomes necessary, thus driving economic activity towards the search for and development of substitutes. Those nations that choose this path might discover that, by joining the global movement towards a circular economy early, they will find an opportunity for their prosperity and wellbeing.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/strong>\u00a0United Nations (2019).\u00a0Advancing Sustainable Development Goal 14: Sustainable fish, seafood value chains, trade and climate.<\/em>\u00a0See:\u00a0https:\/\/unctad.org\/en\/pages\/PublicationWebflyer.aspx?publicationid=2576<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n

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\n \n General Objectives <\/span>\n <\/div>\n
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Support Latin American and Caribbean countries in finding and developing pathways to sustainable prosperity by promoting and developing alternatives to plastics, with a focus on the challenges and opportunities available to the Caribbean and coastal areas of Latin America.<\/p>\n

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  1. Understand the impact of plastic manufacturing and waste on the region<\/li>\n
  2. Explore the development of alternatives to plastics as an environmental and economic opportunity for the countries in the region, with an emphasis on the Caribbean case<\/li>\n
  3. Explore commercial, industrial and trade policy options to promote the development of alternatives to plastics<\/li>\n
  4. Investigate the role of the private sector in shaping and implementing plastics regulations<\/li>\n
  5. Explore options to improve waste management, reduce plastic use and increase recyclability in the region<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n
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    \n \n Central Theme <\/span>\n <\/div>\n
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    During this virtual seminar, we will explore the possibility of developing alternatives to plastics as a way for countries in the region, especially islands, to prevent plastic pollution \u2014which not only produces unsightly garbage, but also threatens tourism, fishing and even public health by introducing toxins into the marine food chain\u2014and use this as an opportunity for becoming more prosperous by joining early a growing global industry and a movement towards a circular economy.<\/p>\n