{"id":25979,"date":"2017-04-27T20:38:29","date_gmt":"2017-04-27T20:38:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/?p=25979"},"modified":"2018-04-22T11:53:38","modified_gmt":"2018-04-22T15:53:38","slug":"feature-uns-mission-to-keep-plastics-out-of-oceans-and-marine-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/blog\/2017\/04\/feature-uns-mission-to-keep-plastics-out-of-oceans-and-marine-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Feature: UN’s mission to keep plastics out of oceans and marine life"},"content":{"rendered":"

There will be more plastic than fish in the world\u2019s oceans by 2050 unless people stop using single-use plastic items such as plastic bags and plastic bottles, according to figures cited by the United Nations.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlastic pollution is surfing onto Indonesian beaches, settling onto the ocean floor at the North Pole, and rising through the food chain onto our dinner tables,\u201d the agency known as UN Environment Programme (UNEP<\/a>) has said.<\/p>\n

In 1950, the world\u2019s population of 2.5 billion produced 1.5 million tons of plastic; in 2016, a global population of more than 7 billion people produced over 300 million tons of plastic \u2013 with severe consequences for marine plants and animals.<\/p>\n

\u201cAccording to one estimate, 99 per cent of all seabirds will have ingested plastic by mid-century,\u201d Petter Malvik, UN Environment Programme\u2019s Communications Officer, told UN News<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the UN declared war on ocean plastic. Launched at the Economist World Ocean Summit in Bali, the #CleanSeas campaign urges governments to pass plastic reduction policies, targets industries to minimize plastic packaging and redesign products, and urges people to change their own habits.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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