Curbing plastic waste emerges as global goal on World Environment Day

By Zahra Al-Kathmi KUWAIT, June 5 (KUNA) -- Accelerating collective measures to tackle plastic pollution is a matter that has risen in significance given how it forms an inextricable part of environmental conservation efforts, against the backdrop of World Environment Day, which is marked on June 5th of every year to raise awareness and encourage action.
The initiative, which dates back more than 50 years ago, is the largest international platform allowing countries to work together to address the issue, through a range of activities and events that ultimately promote and stimulate environmental conservation efforts.
This year's edition of World Environment Day shines the spotlight on the crisis of plastic pollution, urging governments to adopt measures and practices that trigger "systemic change" in efforts to fight plastic pollution, according to the long-standing initiative's website.
As among the participants in World Environment Day, Kuwait's Environment Public Authority's (EPA) acting director general Nouf Behbehani said that the body has launched a media campaign to generate awareness about the matter, in conjunction with relevant state bodies and international organizations, she said.
Environmental conservation efforts form a major component of Kuwait's sustainable development plans, which include encouraging "positive behavior" across individual and institutional levels, while phasing out single-use plastics is a measure backed by the Kuwaiti body, she underlined.
She went on to encourage those who may not be familiar with the EPA campaign to look into the initiative, which largely revolves around the notion of limiting plastic use and developing environment-friendly habits such as recycling, the official said.
Kuwait Environment Protection Society (KEPS) is advocating practices such as limiting plastic production and recycling, its chief Dr. Wejdan Al-Oqab told KUNA, citing the society's involvement in a wide range of activities on national and global levels, all of which aim to keep plastic waste at bay, she said.
The official went on to list some of the perils of plastic waste on both the environment and human health, posing risks to the wellbeing of the environment and humans alike, which behooves environment protection bodies to take "urgent steps" and address a matter that has increasingly grown in importance.
On a local level, KEPS has assembled an initiative called "Green Schools" that comprises numerous lectures and workshops in a bid to educate students about the detrimental effects of plastic pollution, which target ecosystems, wildlife and human well being, added the official.
The initiative brings into focus the pivotal role of individuals through their daily habits in fighting plastic pollution, where even simple acts at home such as using sustainable material instead of plastic can go a long way in contributing towards environment conservation efforts, she underlined.
While Kuwait has passed stringent legislations that impose legal penalties on actions that cause harm to the environment, the official said that it was imperative for the general public to develop "proper behavior" that limits any potential perils to the environment.
Offering his input on the matter, Kuwait Society for Earth Sciences Dr. Mubarak Al-Hajeri hoped that World Environment Day this year would mark a "transition" in efforts to clarify and reshape the principles of environmental sustainability, he said.
The global initiative is a significant platform to shore up local and global efforts to fight environmental crises, in addition to encouraging creativity when it comes to adopting environment-friendly practices whether on an individual or institutional level, he said.
The official lamented the increasing amount of plastic waste flowing into oceans and other bodies of water, choking marine life and threatening the existence of fish and other creatures through entanglement, ingestion and the spread of harmful chemicals into water. (end) zhr.nam