{"id":71337,"date":"2024-11-18T09:04:41","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T08:04:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/?p=71337"},"modified":"2026-02-26T22:36:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T21:36:54","slug":"solution-climate-plastic-crisis-connected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/story\/71337\/solution-climate-plastic-crisis-connected\/","title":{"rendered":"The solutions to the climate and plastic crisis are connected"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As a Filipino, I live in the constant shadow of two extreme climate events. Every year, we brace ourselves for the devastation of droughts and supertyphoons, knowing they will strike our islands with brutal force. But these are not natural disasters – they\u2019re made by human destruction. They are the direct result of the unchecked greed and utter disregard for life by the fossil fuel and petrochemical giants,<\/a> who profit at the expense of our survival.<\/p>\n\n

\"Perpetual
Greenpeace International together with artist and activist Benjamin Von Wong unveil a 5-metre tall art installation called the #PerpetualPlastic Machine on the banks of the Seine River to present a clear message that the Global Plastics Treaty must stop runaway plastic production and use.
\u00a9 Benjamin Von Wong \/ Perpetual Plastic Machine by Greenpeace and Von Wong<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

At this moment, the world\u2019s attention is focused on two pivotal international summits. In Baku, Azerbaijan, leaders have gathered for COP29, the United Nations Climate Change Conference <\/a>and the following  week, in Busan, South Korea, the final Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) will convene to finalize the Global Plastics Treaty. These meetings aren\u2019t just conferences\u2014they are battles for the survival of people and the planet.<\/p>\n\n

\"Mass
Members of the Greenpeace delegation display banner messaging during the march from Parliament Hill to the Shaw Center.
Civil society groups from around the world come together in a mass mobilization at the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) meetings in Ottawa, Canada.
\u00a9 Tim Aubry \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

The climate crisis and the plastic catastrophe are two sides of the same coin, both born from insatiable greed for profit. Many of the same fossil fuel producers and villains blocking progress at COP29 will also be present at INC5, further underlining the need to connect action for the climate and plastics crises. Oil and gas extraction\u2014driven by a few who gain while millions suffer\u2014has spun our planet into an emergency. <\/p>\n\n

Plastics, made almost entirely from fossil fuels, are accelerating the climate crisis. As production continues to rise, this reckless expansion shrinks our future while it harms our communities, our health, and our climate. The corporations behind this destruction are bound to their profits, ignoring the wreckage they leave behind. And with every ton of plastic they produce, the climate crisis tightens its grip.<\/p>\n\n

\"Giant
Greenpeace Seoul activists together with artist Byungchan Lee install a giant plastic monster sculpture (8mx2m) in the middle of Seoul (Sinchon) and hold a performance with the activists.
The activists are urging the Korean government to take action and support the Global Plastics Treaty with a strong commitment to at least 75% plastic reduction by 2040, ahead of the 3rd Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC3).
\u00a9 Jung-geun Augustine Park \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

These two meetings, though miles apart, are only days apart, and are connected by our shared human instinct to survive- to protect our communities, and secure a future where our children can live and thrive. <\/p>\n\n

At Global Plastics Treaty negotiations<\/a>, our demands are clear: we need an agreement that will cut plastics production by at least 75% to ensure that we are staying below the 1.5\u00b0 C limit and to protect our health, rights, communities and environment.  Undoubtedly, the petrochemical industry, corporations and some governments will continue to try  weakening the treaty\u2019s ambition. If they have their way, plastic production will triple by 2050. We can\u2019t let them. Plastics have been found in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and even in our organs and our blood. No more. <\/p>\n\n

\"Global
Greenpeace projects messages and plastic waste imagery in Uruguay as global leaders come together to discuss a Global Plastics Treaty in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Greenpeace is calling for an ambitious Global Plastics Treaty that will limit plastic production and use, keep oil and gas in the ground, and hold big polluters such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle and Unilever accountable for their excessive plastic production.
\u00a9 Greenpeace \/ Manuela Louren\u00e7o<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Angelica Carballo Pago is the Global Plastics Comms and Media Lead for Greenpeace USA<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The plastics and climate crises are intertwined and will only be solved together. Two international summits can be a part of the fight. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":71343,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_planet4_optimize_post_is_variant":false,"_planet4_optimize_experiment_name":"","_planet4_optimize_variant_name":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[139,134],"p4-page-type":[59],"class_list":["post-71337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy","tag-cop29","tag-plastics","p4-page-type-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71337"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71337\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71393,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71337\/revisions\/71393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71337"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=71337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}