#Environment
■ Plastic Treaty Talks: What do Countries, Firms want-
✅Global Leaders met in Canada, to discuss a global treaty to end the Plastic Pollution by the end of year.
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Key Highlights:
✅The U.N. Environment Assembly in 2022, nations agreed to develop a legally binding agreement by the end of 2024 to address the world's plastic pollution crisis.
✅The treaty is set to address plastics through their entire lifecycle
✅Many plastic and petrochemical-producing countries including Saudi Arabia, Iran and China, known collectively as the group of Like-Minded Countries have opposed mentioning production limits.
✅Meanwhile, the 60-nation "High-Ambition Coalition", which includes EU countries, island nations, Japan and the UAE, wants to end plastic pollution by 2040.
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Plastic Usage:
✅The petrochemical industry (Used for making Plastics) says that production caps would lead to higher prices and that the treaty should address:
✅The reuse or recycling of plastics, and on developing the market for burning plastics as fuel.
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Plastics:
✅Plastics are polymers. A polymer is a substance made of many repeating units
✅Plastics can be divided into two: thermoplastics and thermosets.
✅Thermoplastics are defined as polymers that can be melted and recast almost indefinitely.
✅Thermosets is a polymer that irreversibly becomes rigid when heated
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Efforts taken by India:
✅Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021 prohibits identified single use plastic items by 2022
✅Thickness of plastic carry bags increased from 50 to 75 microns in 2021 and to 120 microns with effect from 2022
✅Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2022 The guidelines provide a framework to Strengthen the circular economy of plastic packaging waste
✅Promote the development of new alternatives to plastic packaging
✅Provide the steps for moving towards sustainable plastic packaging by businesses
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Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development:
✅Released the interim report ‘Towards Eliminating Plastic Pollution by 2040:
✅21 million tonnes (MT) of plastics leaked into the environment globally.
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Prelims Takeaway:
✅Types of Plastic
✅OECD report
Source - INDIAN EXPRESSПоказать полностью ...