The OECD is concerned about a projected increase in plastic production and waste
Mountains of plastic waste in Karachi, Pakistan, June 4, 2022. © Fareed Khan/AP
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Plastic production and waste will increase sharply by 2060, even if strong framework measures are taken at the global level, the OECD warned on Friday.
For its part, the UN recently launched negotiations to combat this pollution.
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If nothing is done, plastic production will almost triple compared to 2019, from 460 million tonnes to 1,231 million tonnes (Mt).
That of plastic waste would increase in the same proportions, from 353 to 1,014 Mt,
according to the report
on the "
global outlook for plastics: scenarios for action by 2060
".
The UN launched negotiations in early March for
a global treaty against plastic pollution
, a scourge that threatens the environment and contributes to the collapse of biodiversity.
But the development of a text is not expected before 2024. The hundreds of millions of tons of waste produced each year, which degrades into micro-plastics, are found in all the oceans of the globe, in the sea ice, in the bodies of humans and animals, and even in air sampled from mountaintops.
Scenarios to avoid the worst
The OECD is evaluating two scenarios with reinforced measures covering the entire life cycle of plastics (production/use/recycling or disposal), as provided for in the mandate of the negotiators of the future international treaty.
The first “regional action” scenario foresees differentiated commitments by country, with more ambitious measures for those in the OECD, which are wealthier.
The second, “
of global ambition
”, envisages “
a set of very rigorous measures intended to reduce global plastic discharges to a level close to zero by 2060
”.
But even in these two scenarios, the use of plastics and the production of waste are increasing sharply.
The OECD estimates that the two reduction scenarios could be implemented “
at a relatively modest cost in relation to GDP
”.
Regional action would lead to a reduction of "
only 0.3%
" in global GDP compared to the "
baseline
" scenario, without any limiting action.
But with strong regional disparities, the main losers being sub-Saharan Africa (1.1%) and
European Union countries that are
not members of the OECD (1.8%).
The " global ambition
" scenario
would reduce world GDP by 0.8% compared to the reference scenario, "
which shows once again that public policies have a fairly limited economic cost
", underlines the OECD.
►Also listen: It's not windy - Plastic: it's overflowing!
(With
AFP
)
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Environment
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Waste