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Thursday 5 sepTember 2024
The world is pumping out 57 million tons of plastic pollution a year

tries sending it to poor
Continued from Front ones. The study said plastic
waste trade is decreasing,
China, often villainized for with China banning waste
pollution, ranks fourth but is imports. But Karlsson said
making tremendous strides overall waste trade is ac-
in reducing waste, Velis tually increasing and likely
said. Other top plastic pol- plastics with it. She cited EU
luters are Pakistan, Bang- waste exports going from
ladesh, Russia and Brazil. 110,000 tons (100,000 met-
Those eight nations are ric tons) in 2004 to 1.4 mil-
responsible for more than lion tons (1.3 million metric
half of the globe's plastic tons) in 2021.
pollution, according to the Velis said the amount of
study's data. plastic waste traded is
The United States ranks small. Kara Lavender Law,
90th in plastic pollution an oceanography profes-
with more than 52,500 tons sor at the Sea Education
(47,600 metric tons) and Association who wasn't in-
the United Kingdom ranks volved in the study, agreed,
135th with nearly 5,100 tons based on U.S. plastic waste
(4,600 metric tons), accord- trends. She said this was
ing to the study. otherwise one of the more
In 2022, most of the world's City workers remove garbage floating on the Negro River, which has a rising water level due to comprehensive studies on
nations agreed to make rain, in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, June 6, 2022. Associated Press plastic waste.
the first legally binding Officials in the plastics in-
treaty on plastics pollution, still not quite sure what it It's just a lack of resources gri, senior director of sci- dustry praised the study.
including in the oceans. Fi- means in terms of human and ability of government ence and policy at GAIA, "This study underscores that
nal treaty negotiations take health threats. to provide the necessary a global network of advo- uncollected and unman-
place in South Korea in No- "The big time bomb of mi- services to citizens, Velis cacy organizations working aged plastic waste is the
vember. croplastics are these micro- said. on zero waste and environ- largest contributor to plastic
The study used artificial in- plastics released in the Glo- Outside experts worried mental justice initiatives. pollution and that prioritiz-
telligence to concentrate bal South mainly," Velis said. that the study's focus on "It's necessary but it's not ing adequate waste man-
on plastics that were im- "We already have a huge pollution, rather than over- the whole story." agement is critical to end-
properly burned — about dispersal problem. They are all production, lets the plas- Theresa Karlsson, science ing plastic pollution," Chris
57% of the pollution — or in the most remote places tics industry off the hook. and technical advisor to Jahn, council secretary of
just dumped. In both cases ... the peaks of Everest, in Making plastics emits large International Pollutants the International Council
incredibly tiny microplas- the Mariana Trench in the amounts of greenhouse Elimination Network, an- on Chemical Associations,
tics, or nanoplastics, are ocean, in what we breathe gas that contribute to cli- other coalition of advoca- said in a statement. In trea-
what turn the problem and what we eat and what mate change. cy groups on environment, ty negotiations, the industry
from a visual annoyance at we drink." "These guys have defined health and waste issues, opposes a cap on plastic
beaches and a marine life He called it "everybody's plastic pollution in a much called the volume of pollu- production.
problem to a human health problem" and one that will narrower way, as really tion identified by the study The United Nations projects
threat, Velis said. haunt future generations. just macroplastics that are "alarming" and said it shows that plastics production
Several studies this year "We shouldn't put the emitted into the environ- the amount of plastics be- is likely to rise from about
have looked at how prev- blame, any blame, on the ment after the consumer, ing produced today is "un- 440 million tons (400 mil-
alent microplastics are in Global South," Velis said. and it risks us losing our fo- manageable." lion metric tons) a year to
our drinking water and in "And we shouldn't praise cus on the upstream and But she said the study more than 1,200 million tons
people's tissue, such as ourselves about what we saying, hey now all we misses the significance of (1,100 million metric tons,
hearts, brains and testicles, do in the Global North in need to do is manage the the global trade in plastic saying "our planet is chok-
with doctors and scientists any way." waste better," said Neil Tan- waste that has rich coun- ing in plastic."q

White House signaling it will likely stop

Nippon Steel’s plans to buy U.S. Steel

White House is signaling an to receive the official recom- year where Republicans and
openness to blocking the mendation from the Com- Democrats alike are promis-
acquisition of U.S. Steel by mittee on Foreign Investment ing more domestic manufac-
Nippon Steel, as a govern- in the United States. That re- turing jobs.
ment review of the proposed view could end as soon as Vice President Kamala Har-
takeover by the Japanese this month. ris, the Democratic nominee,
company is on the cusp of Biden had already voiced came out against the deal
ending. his objections to the merg- this week.
The Washington Post reported er, backing his supporters in Former President Donald
Wednesday that President the United Steelworkers union Trump, the Republican nomi-
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris Joe Biden plans to stop the who oppose the deal. The ob- nee, already said he would
campaigns with President Joe Biden at the IBEW Local Union #5 deal from going forward. A jection carries weight as U.S. block the merger if he was
union hall in Pittsburgh, on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. White House official, insisting Steel is headquartered in the still in the White House.
Associated Press
on anonymity to discuss the swing state of Pennsylvania Stock in U.S. Steel fell roughly
By JOSH BOAK and Associated Press matter, did not deny the re- and is a symbol of Pittsburgh's 17% on the news that Biden
MARC LEVY WASHINGTON (AP) — The port and said Biden still needs industrial might in an election would stop the merger.q