Senators join call vs plastic pollution

News | Panay News

MANILA – Three senators have joined the global call against the use of plastic.

The world observed Earth Day on Sunday. “End Plastic Pollution” is this year’s theme.

Plastics have seriously damaged land and bodies of water, and consequently marine life and human health, said Loren Legarda.

The world produced 20 times more plastic in 2014 (311 million tonnes) than it did in 1964 (15 million tonnes), Legarda said, citing the 2016 report “The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the Future of Plastics” of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

“Plastics are ubiquitous components of the world’s consumer culture. They symbolize the throwaway culture that we have developed,” said the chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Climate Change.

“We cannot go business as usual as it pollutes our oceans and water, and even the air when burned,” she added.

Cynthia Villar, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, asked the government to “take bolder and more innovative measures” to reduce the amount of plastic entering the waters.

“The use of plastic products over the years has taken its grim toll on our natural resources. Our marine waters are choking from plastic wastes,” Villar said.

The campaign against plastic consumption has been “moving slowly” because manufacturers and users are “unmindful” of the environmental, climate and health impacts of plastic pollution, she said.

Joel Villanueva, for his part, encouraged the public to “practice sustainable use of our environment” and governments to incentivize establishments for their environmental causes.

“From simply reducing plastic consumption and using ecofriendly materials to cutting down carbon emissions and utilizing environment-friendly energy options, these things can really make a huge difference in preserving our planet,” said Villanueva./PN

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