By Dr. Raúl Pacheco-Vega
Apr 25, 2024, 17:36 PM EDT
Water is a human right, but it has been transformed into a commercial product that has resulted in two problems on a massive scale: excessive extraction, and the production of packaging for its commercialization that does not stop.
At an international level, we continue to produce single-use plastic bottles at an accelerated rate with negative impacts on ecosystems and public health that require global action. In 2022, nearly 180 countries backed a historic resolution to create an agreement to eliminate all plastic pollution.
More than 10 million tons of plastic waste are discarded in the ocean and more than 50 percent of the total plastic produced – almost 380 million tons per year – is single-use.
Our global “throwaway” culture has greatly contributed to ocean pollution and the creation of various environmental problems related to the management and disposal of plastic waste.
One of the most serious problems with replacing tap water with the consumption of bottled water is that there is no governance model that allows controlling, regulating and reducing the production of plastic bottles.
A problem that seems to be local in scale – such as the consumption of bottled water – actually requires an international agreement.
A major challenge to regulating the global use of plastics is the lack of agreements to discuss the different processes and chemicals involved in the generation of plastic by the bottled water industry and other sectors.
Another great challenge is presented by the structure of international environmental agreements. In order to reduce the production and excessive waste of plastics in the ocean, lakes, rivers and urban and peri-urban areas, it is vital that regulations comply with a mandatory legal structure, according to the standards of international environmental law and the legislation of different countries. involved in these treaties.
- The global plastics agreement presents multiple opportunities:
- Prioritize plastic reduction
- Expand the implementation of reuse systems
Eliminate highly problematic plastic products and materials
Beyond domestic commitments by governments or individual decisions by consumers, we need a global treaty on plastics. This week the negotiations of said treaty are summarized, which presents a historic opportunity to reduce the production of single-use plastic and the consumption of bottled water.
Only through a binding international agreement will it be possible to move forward in creating more sustainable solutions to reduce the negative impact of single-use plastics and protect public health and the environment.
Dr. Raúl Pacheco-Vega is Professor-Researcher in the Methods Laboratory of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) Academic Headquarters Mexico.