The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched its next phase of the Tide Turners Plastic Challenge Badge, the world’s largest youth-led movement against plastic crisis.
This is even as the United Kingdom announced a funding commitment of £1.6 million for the next three years at the event held Thursday, in New Delhi, India.
The event brought together institutional partners and young leaders, along with a global audience of no fewer than 200 people.
The Tide Turners Plastic Challenge Badge has educated over 588,000 youths across 40 countries in Africa, Asia, the Pacific and the Caribbean on marine plastic pollution since 2018.
Featuring well-known speakers such as Dia Mirza, UNEP’s Goodwill Ambassador, and Afroz Shah, UNEP Champion of the Earth, highlights of the event was the celebration of the achievements of young environmental champions, as well as charting a three-year path to combat plastic pollution around the world.
Annually, an estimated 19 to 23 million tonnes of plastic waste is dumped in lakes, rivers, and seas across the world, causing harm to the environment, human health, and the global economy, and threatening the achievement of UN’s sustainable development goals.
In a release on Thursday, UNEP stated that “Young people – entrepreneurs, community leaders and change-makers – are taking centre stage in global efforts to address the plastic pollution crisis.
“Through the Tide Turners Plastic Challenge, UNEP works with partners including the World Organization of the Scouts Movement (WOSM), the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), WWF India and the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) India to build the capacities of young people to act against plastic pollution and create a global movement.”
Speaking at the event, Violet Adhiambo, a member of the Girls Guides of Kenya, said: “I trained girls in schools on how to recycle plastics and turn them into treasures. They are making decorations out of plastics, and we also have an initiative selling plastic waste for money to get uniforms. So many of us are out there – if we all pick up plastics, we can clean our environment.”
Sneha Shahi, a former student of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India, who cleaned up a river on her college campus, removing over 700 kg of plastic waste, explained: “We are collecting plastics on the beach but ultimately, the challenge we face is that there is no way to segregate or recycle waste in my community. The closest recycling plant is 200 km away and it’s been very costly for us.”
For Bruno Pozzi, Deputy Director of the Ecosystems Division at UNEP, “The power of young people, including scouts and the girl guides, to drive environmental action, is phenomenal. The Tide Turners programme has reached more than 588,000 youth globally in 40 countries and UNEP is keen to strengthen our partnership with young environmental leaders, including those gathered here, and bring their impact to the next level.”
According to Sally Taylor, Minister Counsellor for Climate and Development at the British High Commission in New Delhi: “It’s so easy to get overwhelmed by the global problems around plastic pollution but I do hope that what Tide Turners does is showing that things can move, and things are moving.
“The commitments heard today from our young leaders are very inspiring. I’m proud the UK has announced a further three years of funding today.”
The fifth phase of the programme begins ahead of negotiations to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, which will resume in Paris from May 29 to June 2, 2023. Also, this year’s World Environment Day on June 5 will focus on solutions to plastic pollution.
Joyce Te’o, President of the 350 University of South Pacific, a student-led environmental club, who called on policymakers to listen and support young people on environmental action said: “We need your attention and for you to watch while we do.”