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National Observer
a day ago
- Politics
- National Observer
What really is a UN Ocean Summit?
From June 9 to the 13, I joined the official Canadian delegation in Nice, France, at the third United Nations Ocean Summit. I was likely the youngest person at UNOC3, not just on Canada's delegation, but in the entire diplomatic zone. At 16, I wasn't attending as a guest or observer — and it was clear: there were no people under 20 anywhere in the room, even from NGOs. We need more young delegates at these summits, not for symbolic reasons, but because our generation will live with the consequences of these decisions. Youth engagement shouldn't be treated as a checkbox. It should be the natural result of aligning experience, interest and readiness — even if that person happens to be 16. This high-level gathering brought countries, institutions and advocates together to confront the growing threats facing our oceans — from overfishing and pollution to legal gaps in international waters, as well as our blue economy. Some of the major issues on the table this year included the Plastics Treaty, the BBNJ Agreement (better known as the High Seas Treaty), and global momentum for a moratorium on deep-sea mining. The Plastics Treaty would be the first binding global agreement to limit plastic pollution across the lifecycle of production and waste. The High Seas Treaty, adopted by the UN last year, aims to protect marine life in international waters. Meanwhile, organizations like Ocean Wise, Oceans North, and the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition called forcefully for an end to deep-sea mining before it accelerates unchecked. Despite the urgency, the practice remains unbanned in Canada. Canada came to the table with a number of meaningful commitments. We've pledged to protect 30 per cent of our oceans by 2030, support the High Seas Treaty, and remain active in treaty negotiations on plastic. But we are still falling short. Canada has not yet fully ratified key international frameworks, and implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water) remains uneven across provinces and territories. These global goals can't remain symbolic — they need institutional follow-through. The conference was filled with research briefings, diplomatic receptions and panels — but some of the most important discussions came from Indigenous voices and frontline coastal communities. There was an easily hard truth uncovered in some of the more 'down to earth' conversations: we know more about outer space than the depths of our oceans. Yet, decisions are being made today that will define how these ecosystems survive — or collapse. Small island developing states like Mauritius and others in the Pacific are facing the harshest impacts of rising sea levels, acidification, and marine degradation — despite contributing the least to global emissions or ocean pollution. It was deeply frustrating to see China send only a small delegation, and even more troubling that the United States didn't show up at all. If major emitters don't attend international forums meant to address the damage they are most responsible for, what message does that send? In 2025, we will live with more plastic in the ocean than at any other point in history, record-breaking CO₂ levels, and the highest number of climate-displaced people ever recorded. Yet in many rooms, the economy still takes precedence over urgent climate action. Canada deserves credit for showing up — but we must also lead. We know more about outer space than the depths of our oceans, writes Jaden Braves This includes accelerating ratification of key ocean frameworks and ensuring real domestic implementation of our global commitments such as the commitment to the moratorium on deepsea mining, as well as meeting all of SDG14. It's nice to see a new government hoping to become the strongest economy in the G7, something I think is highly achievable. But we must not forget that global warming hasn't gotten any better and if our focus isn't on the planet, we may not have one. What wasn't discussed nearly enough in Nice is the intersection between climate and security. While perhaps more of a focus for the NATO summit this week, we cannot ignore how melting ice in the Arctic compromises Canada's northern sovereignty. Russian and Chinese radar systems have already appeared near our coastline. The geopolitical dimensions of ocean protection are real — and increasingly urgent. Ice is a natural conduit to security and it must be regarded as such. Hopefully, reversing climate change in Canada could be part of our new two per cent (and growing) GDP spending towards defence. After all, you are literally defending your country by having a natural border, (the icy Arctic). On June 12, I had the honour of hosting a press conference to announce that Young Politicians of Canada (YPC), the organization I founded, is partnering with the United Nations Association in Canada (UNAC) to launch a Sustainable Development Goal Council. This council, led by UNAC, will work toward implementing the SDGs — not just federally, but across all levels of government. It positions Canada as one of the few countries with a youth-led, policy-focused mechanism to advance SDG accountability and uptake across sectors. It's a big step — and one I'm proud to help lead as a co-chair beside my friend and colleague at UNAC, Dheeksha Reddy. There's something mildly absurd about flying thousands of people to the French Riviera to discuss environmental protection without involving the generation most affected by the outcomes. But if we're going to do this — and we must — then the least we can do is ensure those who will live with the consequences have a seat at the table.
IOL News
05-06-2025
- General
- IOL News
Wastepickers play a key role in the fight against plastic pollution
Wastepickers play a key role in the fight against plastic pollution. Image: File Niranjan Shrestha/AP Our addiction to plastics is trashing the planet, exacerbating global heating and threatening our very survival. Since 2022, the UN has been convening negotiations on a Plastics Treaty to address this crisis. In one of the greatest success stories of the negotiations, an International Alliance of Waste Pickers representing 460,000 of them in 34 countries has ensured that the draft treaty includes a just transition for waste pickers. As my research shows, there are a host of reasons why this should happen. Among them are the fact that waste pickers provide an important service to society. In addition they are producers of knowledge and ideas. Because they go through our trash and leave behind everything without value, they know better than anyone which plastics should be eliminated. They are also the only people with significant experience collecting recyclables in developing countries. According to the alliance, a just transition for waste pickers involves: recognising and formalising waste pickers' role; registration; meaningful involvement in policy-making and implementation; social protection and fair remuneration; and capacity building and organisational support. As the world's leaders meet in Ottawa for the current round of negotiations, the alliance's challenge is to ensure commitments to waste pickers make it into the final text. South Africa's approach to waste picker integration demonstrates how they can be protected. A waste picker sorts through plastic bottle waste at the Dandora garbage dump where people scavenge through the landfill for re-usables and recyclables that can be re-sold. Image: Tony Karumba / AFP A working model As the Reclaim, Revalue, Reframe website my colleagues and I created explains, South Africa's just transition for waste pickers is grounded in an approach that I call 'participatory evidence-based policy-making'. I first used this approach when I facilitated the three-year process to develop government's Waste Picker Integration Guideline for South Africa. A series of education workshops combined waste pickers' knowledge with analysis of academic research. In this way, a working group of various stakeholders agreed on the content of the guideline. The key to our success was to start by agreeing on what existed. In the past, government and industry treated waste pickers as poor, marginal people in need of help. But research showed waste pickers collected 80%-90% of the used packaging and paper recycled in South Africa. It became clear that it was waste pickers who were subsidising government and industry and that they were the experts on getting recyclables out of the environment. Based on this analysis, the working group defined waste picker integration as the creation of a formally planned recycling system that: values and improves the present role of waste pickers builds on the strengths of their existing system for collecting and revaluing recyclables includes waste pickers as key partners in its design, implementation, evaluation and revision. The group also agreed on integration principles. They include redress, improved incomes and working conditions, and valuing waste pickers' expertise. Melanie Samson is an Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Johannesburg. Image: The Conversation Now, South African municipalities and industry are required to make this work in practice. South Africa has regulations which make producers responsible for the impact of their products after consumption. The rules require industry to pay a service fee to waste pickers registered on the South Africa Waste Picker Registration System. This is a vital step in addressing racial capitalism, as the entire recycling industry has exploited black waste pickers' free labour. It is difficult to register waste pickers, as they are understandably reluctant to give their personal information to municipalities and industry. Including them in the process of developing the registration system helped to create trust. Justice delayed South Africa's potential to be the world leader in a just transition for waste pickers is at risk, however, because of weak implementation, monitoring and enforcement. Industry is paying the service fee to only a handful of the registered waste pickers. Few municipalities have integration programmes that comply with the guideline. It is unclear what the government is doing to address these legal violations. Fixing the loopholes The solution lies in using the participatory evidence-based approach again – this time for implementation. First, the government should establish a permanent multi-stakeholder Waste Picker Integration Committee to develop and oversee the implementation of a national integration strategy. Second, the government should work with waste pickers and other stakeholders to create a municipal waste picker integration support programme. Third, the government should include waste pickers and other experts in monitoring producer responsibility for waste. Stiff penalties must be imposed on industry for noncompliance. Fourth, companies that committed themselves to waste picker integration by signing the Fair Circularity Initiative Principles should push South African industry to meet its legal requirements to pay and integrate waste pickers. Lessons for the Plastics Treaty The South African experience demonstrates what's possible. The International Alliance of Waste Pickers proposed how the Plastics Treaty could address their concerns. Negotiators should agree to this text. The South African experience also shows that achieving a just transition requires participation at all stages: implementation, monitoring and enforcement. This must be built into the treaty now and the Group of Friends of Waste Pickers nations should agree to keep partnering on implementation. SUNDAY TRIBUNE
The Hindu
30-04-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Exposure to phthalates in plastics linked to 3.5 lakh heart disease deaths in 2018: study
A daily exposure to phthalates -- commonly used in making household plastic items -- has been related to over 3.5 lakh, or 13 percent, deaths in the world due to heart disease in 2018, among those aged 55-64, a new study has found. India records highest heart disease deaths linked to plastic chemical India had the highest count at 103,587 deaths, followed by China and Indonesia, the study, published in the journal eBioMedicine, found. It also found that about three quarters of the 3.5 lakh deaths were bore by South Asia, along with the Middle East, East Asia, and the Pacific, even as use of phthalates is widespread. Researchers, led by those at the New York University, analysed health and environmental data from population surveys to estimate exposure to phthalates across 200 countries and territories. Plastic ingredient DEHP under spotlight for health risks The study focused on a kind of phthalate called 'di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP)' -- used for making plastics in items, such as food containers, softer and more flexible. Data, including those from urine samples, was analysed to discern amounts of products formed due to a chemical breakdown of the phthalate. "By highlighting the connection between phthalates and a leading cause of death across the world, our findings add to the vast body of evidence that these chemicals present a tremendous danger to human health," lead author Sara Hyman, an associate research scientist at New York University's school of medicine, said. The authors wrote, "In 2018, an estimated 356,238 deaths globally were attributed to DEHP exposure, representing 13.497 per cent of all cardiovascular deaths among individuals aged 55-64." Phthalates have been shown to break down into microscopic particles and enter human bodies, increasing the risk of wide-ranging conditions, such as obesity, fertility issues and cancer. Exposure to this compound has been studied to trigger inflammation in the heart's arteries, which, over time, is associated with increased risk of heart attack or stroke, the researchers said. Study may influence UN plastics treaty negotiations Findings from the analysis could help "inform ongoing negotiations of a Global Plastics Treaty", they added. The United Nations (UN) Plastics Treaty is the world's first legally binding treaty on plastic pollution. The findings were found to align with global trends in plastics production and regulation, the team said. For example, they said, India has a rapidly expanding plastics industry, and faces a substantial risk from exposure to phthalates due to plastic waste and an extensive use of the item. "There is a clear disparity in which parts of the world bear the brunt of heightened heart risks from phthalates," senior author Leonardo Trasande, a professor of paediatrics at New York University's school of medicine, said. "Our results underscore the urgent need for global regulations to reduce exposure to these toxins, especially in areas most affected by rapid industrialisation and plastic consumption," Trasande said. For the analysis, mortality data was obtained from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, US, a research group that collects medical information worldwide to identify trends in public health.
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Exposure to phthalates in plastics linked to 13 pc of deaths due to heart disease in 2018: Study
New Delhi: A daily exposure to phthalates -- commonly used in making household plastic items -- has been related to over 3.5 lakh, or 13 per cent, deaths in the world due to heart disease in 2018, among those aged 55-64, a new study has found. India had the highest count at 103,587 deaths, followed by China and Indonesia, the study, published in the journal eBioMedicine, found. It also found that about three quarters of the 3.5 lakh deaths were bore by South Asia, along with the Middle East, East Asia, and the Pacific, even as use of phthalates is widespread. Researchers, led by those at the New York University , analysed health and environmental data from population surveys to estimate exposure to phthalates across 200 countries and territories. The study focused on a kind of phthalate called 'di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP)' -- used for making plastics in items, such as food containers, softer and more flexible. Data, including those from urine samples, was analysed to discern amounts of products formed due to a chemical breakdown of the phthalate. "By highlighting the connection between phthalates and a leading cause of death across the world, our findings add to the vast body of evidence that these chemicals present a tremendous danger to human health," lead author Sara Hyman, an associate research scientist at New York University's school of medicine, said. The authors wrote, "In 2018, an estimated 356,238 deaths globally were attributed to DEHP exposure , representing 13.497 per cent of all cardiovascular deaths among individuals aged 55-64." Phthalates have been shown to break down into microscopic particles and enter human bodies, increasing the risk of wide-ranging conditions, such as obesity, fertility issues and cancer. Exposure to this compound has been studied to trigger inflammation in the heart's arteries, which, over time, is associated with increased risk of heart attack or stroke, the researchers said. Findings from the analysis could help "inform ongoing negotiations of a Global Plastics Treaty ", they added. The United Nations (UN) Plastics Treaty is the world's first legally binding treaty on plastic pollution. The findings were found to align with global trends in plastics production and regulation, the team said. For example, they said, India has a rapidly expanding plastics industry, and faces a substantial risk from exposure to phthalates due to plastic waste and an extensive use of the item. "There is a clear disparity in which parts of the world bear the brunt of heightened heart risks from phthalates," senior author Leonardo Trasande, a professor of pediatrics at New York University's school of medicine, said. "Our results underscore the urgent need for global regulations to reduce exposure to these toxins, especially in areas most affected by rapid industrialisation and plastic consumption," Trasande said. For the analysis, mortality data was obtained from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, US, a research group that collects medical information worldwide to identify trends in public health.
