GLOBAL – Civil societies, academics and frontline groups are expressing concern over a new United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report promoting plastic waste incineration in cement kilns.
The NGO’s concerns come a week after UNEP released its Spotlight report to support governments in negotiating a new global treaty to end plastic pollution.
The second round of negotiations on developing the treaty, by the International Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-2), will occur in Paris, France, May 29-June 2.
The report was prepared in part by Systemiq, a consultancy firm, and the University of Portsmouth, UK.
The widespread burning of waste in cement kilns would lead to a “lock-in effect,” maintaining demand for cheap plastic waste for fuel that would defy global efforts toward restricting plastic production, warns Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA).
“Burning plastic waste in cement kilns is a ‘get out of jail free card’ for the plastic industry to keep ramping up plastic production by claiming that the plastic problem can be simply burned away,” says Dr. Neil Tangri, science and policy director at GAIA.
“Not only does this pose a grave climate and public health threat, but it also undermines the primary goal of the global plastic treaty – putting a cap on plastic production.”
The non-profit organization calls the climate impacts from the cement industry “devastating,” with 8% of the world’s carbon emissions originating from cement production.
The widespread burning of waste in cement kilns would replace one form of fossil fuel with another, GAIA finds.
Decisive to the second round of negotiations will state’ decisions on whether the treaty will consider the health and environmental aspects of plastics’ entire life cycle or whether it will be limited to treating plastic solely as waste.
Scientists and civil society organizations favor the former, while some industry representatives are pushing the latter.
GAIA notes that 99% of plastic is made from fossil fuels and according to another UNEP report, burning one metric tonne of plastic waste releases roughly the equivalent GHG emissions.
The association further claims that the cement industry is known to be poorly regulated, making it “one of the dirtiest types of facilities.”
Graham Forbes, global plastics campaign lead at Greenpeace USA, also comments on the UNEP report and states that it does not address the role of plastic production in creating plastics and climate crises.
“Any plan that still results in 100 million metric tonnes of plastic pollution per year, 17 years from now, is inadequate,” concludes Forbes.
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