{"id":68377,"date":"2025-07-29T18:12:52","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T10:12:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/?p=68377"},"modified":"2025-07-29T18:13:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T10:13:56","slug":"amid-flooding-groups-call-on-ph-to-lead-on-plastics-treaty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/press\/68377\/amid-flooding-groups-call-on-ph-to-lead-on-plastics-treaty\/","title":{"rendered":"Amid Flooding, Groups Call on PH to Lead on Plastics Treaty"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Widespread
Parts of Metro Manila were left flooded with the heavy rains brought by Severe Tropical Storm \u201cCrising\u201d (international name: Wipha) and the enhanced southwest monsoon,
\u00a9 Noel Celis \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

29 July 2025, Quezon City \u2014 As floods swamped parts of Metro Manila last week, bringing with them more than 600 tons of collected waste,[1]<\/sup> over 80 organizations from across the Philippines are calling on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to act decisively on the root of the problem: unchecked plastic production.<\/p>\n\n

The groups\u2019 demand comes just days before the final round of the United Nations negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty opens on August 5 in Geneva, Switzerland\u2014what advocates are calling the most significant environmental deal since the Paris Agreement.<\/p>\n\n

In a joint statement[2]<\/sup> sent to the DENR, Greenpeace Philippines and its allies urged the agency, which leads the country\u2019s delegation to the treaty negotiations, to push for ambitious and legally binding targets to reduce plastic production. The groups emphasized that focusing only on waste management solutions will not be enough to address the worsening impacts of plastic pollution.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t keep cleaning up while turning a blind eye to plastic production,\u201d said Marian Ledesma, Zero Waste Campaigner at Greenpeace Philippines. \u201cFloods are the symptom. The plastic crisis is part of the disease. It\u2019s time for the DENR to stop playing it safe and push for a Plastics Treaty that cuts production at the source.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Single-use plastic clogs waterways and drainage systems, worsening the effects of extreme rainfall and typhoons. Advocates say this week\u2019s flooding serves as a reminder that the plastic and climate crises are deeply connected, and that vulnerable communities are being hit hardest by both.<\/p>\n\n

The call comes alongside a new Greenpeace International study[3]<\/sup> revealing that over 51 million people in 11 countries, including the Philippines, live near petrochemical facilities linked to plastics. These sites are associated with toxic air pollution, respiratory diseases, and cancer, with some areas labeled \u201csacrifice zones\u201d by the UN.<\/p>\n\n

Ledesma said, \u201cThis is a fight for our lives. A strong plastics treaty is a win for every Filipino drowning in floods, poisoned by pollution, and ignored by profit-hungry corporations. The government must stand its ground at the talks and come home ready to turn global ambition into national action\u2014not just more talk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

The groups continue to call on the government to:<\/p>\n\n