Today marks 5 days of 30 Days Wild and we hope you’ve been enjoying getting outside and experiencing nature (and some great weather) so far. Today is also World Environment Day, themed around tackling plastic pollution. But what does this mean? What is it all about? We explain a little about the history of World Environment Day and offer some advice on how you can get involved through taking simple steps to help protect your local environment.
World Environment Day: History and Aims
The 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm was the first global environmental summit. Following this, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was formed in 1973 and World Environment Day established on the 5th of June. Now, World Environmental Day sees millions of participants from over 150 countries worldwide.
The main goals of World Environment Day are to raise awareness globally about environmental issues, and to celebrate and inspire environmental action, with the theme for 2023 being Solutions to Plastic Pollution. This year’s campaign focuses on everyday efforts as well as global scale solutions that can help solve the ever-growing issue of global plastic pollution.
Above:Â 5 facts about plastic waste (Image credit: UN Biodversity Twitter).
There are some rather stark facts around plastic production to be found – for example, today we produce about 400 million tonnes of plastic waste each year. 36% of all plastics produced are made to be used in packaging (eg. food and beverage containers) including single-use plastics, which have seen a concerning increase in usage despite the need for us to move away from single-use plastic as much as possible. Of the 7 billion tonnes of plastic waste generated globally to date, less than 10% has been recycled.Â
Rivers and plastic pollution
When we look at how plastic is getting into our environment to this extent, we find even harsher truths – estimations show that 1,000 rivers are accountable for nearly 80% of global annual riverine plastic pollution in the ocean (ranging between 0.8 and 2.7 million tonnes/year), with smaller urban rivers found to be the most polluting. Since rivers almost always lead to ocean bodies, this means that without shifting the way we produce, use and dispose of plastic, the the amount of plastic waste entering aquatic ecosystems could almost triple, to a projected 23-37 million tonnes per year by 2040.Â
A shift in attitudes is needed too, with littering, often including plastic waste, occurring frequently near water bodies. We can see this especially in popular camping and wild-camping spots, especially during summer when National Park authorities often report increased incidents of abandoned campsites covered in litter. Some argue that a lack of bins contributes to the problem but the underlying attitude of not considering the impact that litter pollution has on the environment, is problematic also.
Rebuilding the system
While individual actions (like bringing your own coffee cup for takeaway coffee for example) certainly help make a difference, system change is needed to drastically change how just how much plastic waste we produce. In 2023 at Côte d’Ivoire, the host for World Environment Day, discussions about a circular economy for plastics, are ongoing.
Above: Illustration of a circular economy concept around plastics (from this UN report).
Many of us are familiar with the concept of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ by now, but a circular economy proposes taking this further by aiming to reduce drastically the need to produce plastics in the first place. By working through the legacy problems we will face from plastic pollution, and reusing and repurposing where possible, our need to have plastics produced will decrease, as we meet these needs through other (more sustainable!) methods. Only time will tell if this model holds the answer, but a circular economy has already been suggested for more issues than just plastic pollution, given the pressing issue of climate change.
 Ways to help today
Start the conversation – start discussions around preventing plastic waste with those around you, and set good examples, like when out on a walk, don’t be tempted to drop your rubbish if there’s no bins nearby. It’s a minor inconvenience for you, but a major one for the environment when it becomes waste pollution. Â
Clean a river – join a clean-up of a river! This will directly improve your local river by cleaning the area for wildlife and for people, and preventing plastic waste washing downstream and reaching the ocean eventually.
Consider plastic-free alternatives when shopping – where possible, use alternatives to plastic items, so for holiday single-use bottles try and find reusable containers instead for example.
Know your recycling – when you do use plastic, are you recycling it correctly? Different local authorities can have differences in the types of plastics they accept for recycling, so double check this information. Make use of supermarket plastic recycling bins when these are available to you as well. Reuse items where you can to stop them going to waste.
Further links
World Environment Day 2023 live updates
Educational Materials around World Environment Day | STEM
The Ocean Cleanup : River Plastic Pollution Sources Data Map
| Beat Plastic Pollution feature (unep.org)
worldenvironmentday.global – Plastic Pollution Solutions