Samoa struggles under a plastic tide
Samoa struggles to manage escalating plastic waste due to limited resources, warns rights expert Marcos Orellana. Despite restrictions, cheap plastic imports persist, highlighting the need for equitable international solutions.
S amoa is battling a relentless influx of plastic waste, which is straining its limited resources, warned Marcos Orellana, an independent rights expert on toxic environments and human rights, on Friday.
Despite efforts to limit plastic use, including bans on specific plastic products, Samoa “cannot keep up with growing amounts of plastic waste,” Orellana noted.
— Samoa.
He highlighted that Samoa, like other Small Pacific Island States, suffers from an inflow of “cheap plastic imports (and) pesticides that are banned in other countries,” compounded by discarded cars and tyres.
According to Orellana, the country “does not have financial, technical and human resources” to manage the sheer volume of waste.
Samoa facing a surging plastic tide - UN expert @SRtoxics warns that despite efforts to ban certain plastics like bags, straws, and Styrofoam, the country is struggling to keep up with the growing plastic waste.https://t.co/oKfTpwnuu0 pic.twitter.com/adj9yuvBpM
— UN Special Procedures (@UN_SPExperts) November 8, 2024
Orellana criticised international plastic manufacturers for inadequate efforts to curb pollution, warning that global negotiations on plastic pollution had taken a “wrong turn.” Current discussions on a legally binding plastic treaty, he said, risk shifting the burden onto resource-limited nations rather than holding major plastic-producing countries accountable.
All people have the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. As human rights and the environment are interdependent, a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is necessary for the full enjoyment of a wide range of human rights. At the same time, the enjoyment of all human rights, including the rights to information, participation and access to justice, is critical to the protection of the environment.
With rising waste levels and scarce resources, Samoa’s challenges underscore the pressing need for international solutions that do not disproportionately impact developing states.
GOING FURTHER
Visit of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights [PDF] | OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Samoa facing a surging plastic tide, warns UN expert | OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Plastic Pollution in Coastal Areas: A Problem We Created, and We Can Solve | SAMOA OBSERVER
King Charles greeted by confronting anti-pollution ads in Samoa | NINE NEWS
Sources:
▪ This piece was first published in PUBLIC SQUARE UK on 9 November 2024 under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence.
▪ Cover: Dreamstime/Nopadol Uengbunchoo.
