A former career diplomat, Atul Bagai as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) India head is a key person in leading the World Environment Day (WED) 2023 campaign #BeatPlastic Pollution calling for solutions to combat plastic pollution in the country. In an interview with Rajiv Tikoo, he shares his perspective about India's role in checking plastic pollution domestically and globally. Edited excerpts:
The WED2023campaign#Beat Plastic Pollution calls for solutions to combat plastic pollution. The theme for WED 2018, too, was beating plastic pollution. How far have we travelled in the interim?
The World Environment Day 2023 focuses on solutions to plastic pollution. This is a timely topic, as plastic pollution is part of the triple planetary crises we face. The crisis of climate change, the crisis of nature and biodiversity loss, and the crisis of pollution and waste. Plastic pollution is a risk to human health and to the health of ecosystems. It contributes to climate change, with about 98 per cent of single-use plastic products produced from fossil fuels or virgin feedstock. These problems are compounded by unsustainable consumption, production and poor waste management capacities world over. This World Environment Day is an opportunity to showcase the varied solutions to beat plastic pollution.
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