UNDP Resident Representative, Denise E Antonio

Webinar series “Let’s Talk Plastics” to inform the development of a UNDP Offer (strategy) to tackle plastic pollution

7 October 2020, 8:30-9:30am (EDT)

Salutations

• Moderator, Andy Hudson, Head, Global Water Governance, UNDP
• Dr. Peter Kershaw, Independent Marine Environmental Consultant
• Norad, Anonsen and Silje Fagernes Anonsen, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
• Pamela Bapoo-Dundoo, National Coordinator, UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme
• Anthony Talouli, Acting Director, Waste Management and Pollution Control, SPREP
• Other distinguished representatives of international organizations, civil society and government and other attendees

Good morning. I welcome the opportunity to participate in this timely Webinar which seeks inputs pursuant to the development of a solid UNDP global offer designed to tackle plastic pollution. UNDP is well placed and mandated to address this significant challenge, guided by its undertaking to pursue nature-based solutions to development.

The challenge before us is well known. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) tells us that the equivalent to a full garbage truck of plastic is dumped into the sea every minute – that’s an estimated eight million tonnes of plastic each year. Over 800 marine species are paying the price, and so are we – in our food supplies, health, coastal protection and livelihoods. Tainted plastic is entering our bodies via polluted seafood, and the financial cost of the impact on sectors such as tourism and fisheries, is estimated by UNEP to be some $40 billion. The head of UNEP is on record forecasting that marine plastic waste will triple by 2040 if no action is taken.

Jamaica, like many countries across the globe faces is also challenged by systemic use and disposal of plastic. According to Jamaica's National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), non-biodegradable plastic poses considerable danger to sea turtles who mistake plastic bags for jellyfish and die from internal blockages; seals and sea lions starve after being entangled by nets or muzzled by six-pack rings. Plastic debris kills 100,000 marine mammals and 2 million sea birds die annually. Plastic bottles, and up to recently, plastic bags indiscriminately discarded are clogging gullies, drains and rivers, causing flooding from just one shower of heavy rainfall. The Minister with responsibility for the environment reported in 2019 that approximately 850 million plastic bottles are placed on the local market each year, but that only a fraction is collected in the formal waste management system or recycled.  

In the tourist enclaves of St Mary and Negril where tourism is a lifeblood for the local economy, our partnership with the GEF Small Grants Programme has given us evidence of severe degradation caused by wanton disposal of plastic. In the world-famous Negril, a tourist mecca, waste accumulation in the ocean has steadily increased since the mid-1970s, with the development and growth of this tourist community. Several marine species, including the green and hawksbill turtles, elkhorn and staghorn corals, and the black grouper, have become critically endangered to near extinction. According to IUCN’s Red List, populations of elkhorn and staghorn corals, both critically endangered, have declined 97% and 98% respectively in Jamaica in the last thirty years. And green and hawksbill turtles have declined in the last three generations by 48 to 67% and 84 to 87% respectively. The depletion of fish habitat has seriously impacted the livelihood of fishermen. Damage to the coral reef system has resulted in the continuing loss of beach area due to sand erosion, as reefs serve to protect and create beaches over time. Negril’s challenges do not end there. The seabed of the Negril bay area is currently covered in garbage, most of which includes plastic, resulting in coral death. Urgent efforts are required to preserve the area, which is a part of the Negril Marine Park, a protected area which spans 500 hectares of land.  Through our work with GEF SGP we have also become aware of additional plastic pollution challenges in a small north coast town called Oracabessa Bay, which is the location of the late author Ian Fleming’s house. Notably he wrote all his James Bond novels there so the area holds significant historic, economic and recreational value. Hawksbill Turtle populations have suffered from the accumulation of debris and foliage on the nearby beaches which impedes proper nesting and sea migration conditions. But the livelihoods in this town are also under threat. Smaller fish stock and fish size has impacted incomes. In addition, fishers have been driven to focus on reef-grazing fish, which has harmful consequences on both the quality of the reef and the habitat it provides for marine life.  

At this juncture I would like to offer a few solutions arising from the work of UNDP Multi Country office in Jamaica in conjunction with the GEF Small Grants Programme. The first, obvious as it may be, is worthy of being restated. Community based organizations are on the frontlines of the issues, living them every day and suffering their consequences. They must become our primary partners for change. Our partnerships in Negril and Oracabessa Bay with local folk like fishers, community-based organizations and cooperatives have yielded excellent results. In one instance community groups organized activities led by residents, to remove plastic waste from the seabed and build awareness among community members on environmentally friendly waste disposal practices. The project also supported sustainable livelihoods that earn living wages incomes with low to no environmental impact. Special focus was placed on those typically left behind, such as persons living with disabilities, youth, women and the elderly.  Waste disposal speaks to culturally accepted behavioral norms and so we integrated civic pride into public education effort to foster a shift in those norms. Community education programs were tailored to coopt residents as guardians of their community assets, the main goal being to prevent destruction, and promote restoration of Negril’s coral reef. A citizen-led waste management system centered around recycling helped to divert thousands of pounds of plastic materials from the ocean, made possible through strong partnerships with government and the private sector. This in turn is protecting the coastal, marine, and freshwater ecosystems, boosting tourism, and contributing to economic growth. In Oracabessa Bay, residents again become the centre of the response through a cooperative approach based on strengthening their governance arrangements and training fishers as wardens of the fish sanctuary and as guardians and planters of the coral reefs. Supported by UNDP/GEF SGP the Oracabessa Marine Trust and the Oracabessa Foundation further developed the 97-hectare fish sanctuary – which became a thriving nucleus for public education and sustainable livelihoods. Alternatives are key. Once a person in need can replace his income with the proposed alternative, he or she may deem the so-called alternative to be worthy of his time and effort.

This was the thinking behind Jamaica’s proposed plastic bottle deposit refund scheme mooted by the then minister with responsibility for the environment. The strength of the idea lies, again, in ensuring income replacement for giving up an undesired behavior. Under this deposit refund scheme, government will allow for the application of a deposit on plastic bottles placed on the market and a cash rebate to the consumer on the return of these bottles to designated redemption centres across the island. I agree with the Minister that plastic bottles, once collected, present a valuable opportunity to generate income for a new generation of recyclers and also for enterprises prepared to design and produce products for local and regional consumption. The Jamaican government has made it clear that it does not see collection of plastics for disposal at landfills as a sustainable solution in the long-term – particularly in small island developing island states such as Jamaica where land is a scarce and extremely valuable resource.  

Jamaica’s policy position and action related to the plastic pollution crisis are well documented. In September 2018, the portfolio minister for the environment announced a ban on the importation, manufacturing, distribution, and use of all single-use plastic carrier bags Industry and straws. Despite calls for push back of the launch date, from some sectors, Jamaica proceeded with the ban and this has reportedly led to a marked reduction in the amount of plastic waste in circulation. Jamaicans have now become accustomed to carrying their recyclable bags for shopping, and companies have carved out a niche by producing these bags for local consumption.

The ongoing calls for governments to promote non-toxic, biodegradable or easily recyclable alternatives to plastics is bearing some fruit as the Jamaican government has been actively promoting bamboo manufacturing, which is a renowned, environmentally friendly, alternative source material for straws, cups and other products. Colleagues it is abundantly clear that the green economy must rise if we are to defeat the plastic problem. Alternatives must become mainstream. I challenge us to begin the process of rewriting the label ‘alternative’ attached to the green economy as it suggests a second-hand, second- rate option. We must think earth friendly first and foremost so that plastic options become the unsustainable alternative.

The challenge we face today is not insurmountable, as many of the solutions we seek lie in changing the way we consume, trade and live. These are well within our power.

I would like to end with the words of Tom Dillon, Pew’s vice president for environment: “There’s no single solution to ocean plastic pollution, but through rapid and concerted action we can break the plastic wave. We can invest in a future of reduced waste, better health outcomes, greater job creation, and a cleaner and more resilient environment for both people and nature”.

Thank you.