عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

75% of People Want Single-Use Plastics Banned, Global Survey Finds

A man stands next to a pile of plastic garbage at a market which no longer provides plastic bags for customers to carry products, in Mexico City, Mexico January 2, 2020. (Reuters)
A man stands next to a pile of plastic garbage at a market which no longer provides plastic bags for customers to carry products, in Mexico City, Mexico January 2, 2020. (Reuters)
TT
TT

75% of People Want Single-Use Plastics Banned, Global Survey Finds

A man stands next to a pile of plastic garbage at a market which no longer provides plastic bags for customers to carry products, in Mexico City, Mexico January 2, 2020. (Reuters)
A man stands next to a pile of plastic garbage at a market which no longer provides plastic bags for customers to carry products, in Mexico City, Mexico January 2, 2020. (Reuters)

Three in four people worldwide want single-use plastics to be banned as soon as possible, according to a poll released on Tuesday, as United Nations members prepare to begin talks on a global treaty to rein in soaring plastic pollution.

The percentage of people calling for bans is up from 71% since 2019, while those who said they favored products with less plastic packaging rose to 82% from 75%, according to the IPSOS poll of more than 20,000 people across 28 countries.

Activists say the results send a clear message to governments meeting in Nairobi this month to press ahead with an ambitious treaty to tackle plastic waste, a deal being touted as the most important environmental pact since the Paris Agreement on climate change in 2015.

"People worldwide have made their views clear," said Marco Lambertini, WWF International's director general. "The onus and opportunity is now on governments to adopt a global plastics treaty ... so we can eliminate plastic pollution."

Nearly 90% of those surveyed said they supported a treaty, but it remains to be seen whether any such deal will focus on waste collection and recycling or take more radical measures such as curbing production and use of throwaway plastics.

Reuters revealed last week that big oil and chemical industry groups were devising strategies to persuade conference participants to reject any deal that would limit production of plastic, which is made from oil and gas and a key source of their revenues.

If the United Nations cannot agree on a deal to put the brakes on plastic pollution, there will be widespread ecological damage over the coming decades, putting some marine species at risk of extinction and destroying sensitive ecosystems such as coral reefs and mangroves, according to a WWF study released this month.

It is likely to take at least two years to finalize any treaty. But whatever is agreed at the Nairobi conference from Feb. 28 to March 2 will determine key elements of any deal.

The biggest support for single-use plastic bans in the poll came from the likes of Colombia, Mexico and India, developing countries at the sharp end of a waste crisis.

The IPSOS poll also showed that 85% of respondents globally want manufacturers and retailers to be held responsible for reducing, reusing and recycling plastic packaging, up from 80% previously.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

Americans to Celebrate Fourth of July with Parades, Cookouts — and Lots of Fireworks

A child holds a US flag as she watches the Macy's Fourth of July fireworks in New York City, New York, US, July 4, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Purchase Licensing Rights
A child holds a US flag as she watches the Macy's Fourth of July fireworks in New York City, New York, US, July 4, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Purchase Licensing Rights
TT
TT

Americans to Celebrate Fourth of July with Parades, Cookouts — and Lots of Fireworks

A child holds a US flag as she watches the Macy's Fourth of July fireworks in New York City, New York, US, July 4, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Purchase Licensing Rights
A child holds a US flag as she watches the Macy's Fourth of July fireworks in New York City, New York, US, July 4, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Purchase Licensing Rights

The hamburgers aren't the only things sizzling this Fourth of July: Millions of people are under heat warnings as large numbers of Americans traveled to toast their nation’s birth with parades, cookouts and fiery splashes of colors against the evening sky.

Travel records are projected to fall with people already jamming airports and crowding highways ahead of the Fourth of July to get to their destinations. Across the West, meanwhile, residents were dealing with stifling heat as the National Weather Service warned of a “significant and extremely dangerous” heat wave across much of the region, The AP reported.

Fireworks — a staple for the holiday — were expected to reach an all-time high with an untold number of backyard displays in addition to 16,000 professional shows lighting up the horizon from sea to shining sea.

“This is how we celebrate. It’s the bombs bursting in air. It’s the rockets’ red glare. That’s how people show their pride and patriotism,” said Julie Heckman of the American Pyrotechnics Association.

All signs pointed to big celebrations: The Transportation Security Administration reported that a record-breaking nearly 3 million people traveled through airports in a single day last week, and that figure is expected to be broken this week. And AAA projected that 60.6 million people will travel by car during the holiday period. Part of the boost was attributed to easing inflation, though many Americans remain concerned about the economy.

On the much of the West Coast, residents were advised to take precautions to avoid overheating on the holiday.

Temperatures were expected to top 100 degrees (38 degrees Celsius) across both coastal and inland areas of California, with heat spreading into the Pacific Northwest. Some spots in the desert Southwest were expecting temperatures topping 120 degrees ( 49 degrees Celsius). Hot, muggy conditions also permeated the Deep South and Middle Atlantic.

The Northern California city of Oroville’s annual fireworks were canceled as an estimated 26,000 residents remained displaced by the growing Thompson Fire, while hundreds of firefighters toiled under extreme heat to keep flames from reaching more homes.

Plenty of barbecue, desserts, cold drinks and the Stars and Stripes were on tap from Maine to Hawaii. But Americans were also celebrating in other ways unique to their communities.

Off the rocky coast in Down East, Maine, some planned to enjoy lobster boat races. Descendants of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were ringing the Liberty Bell 13 times — once for each of the original colonies — in Philadelphia. The California communities of Bolinas and Stinson Beach, north of San Francisco, were engaging in their annual tug-of-war contest in which losers end up in a lagoon.

And, of course, there’s the annual hot dog eating contest on New York’s Coney Island.

The July Fourth holiday generally unites Americans in their shared love of country, but the 2024 version comes against a backdrop of deep political polarization and a divisive presidential race.

In Boston, where tens of thousands were expected to enjoy the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, maestro Keith Lockhart said it’s inspiring to see people of different political stripes gather on Charles River Esplanade. But he noted that “one would have to have one’s head pretty deeply stuck in the sand to not notice the deep divisions in our country.”

“It is, indeed, a dangerous time,” he wrote in an email before the show. “If, even for one day, we can set aside our differences and embrace our commonalities, this has to be a positive thing.”