Faire face à la pandémie de la pollution plastique

The document describes plastic pollution as a global crisis driven by the longevity of fossil-fuel-based plastics and the failure of recycling. It reviews UN efforts, including the Basel Convention's 2019 amendments and the UNEP's expert group on marine litter, while debating the merits of a new global treaty versus voluntary measures. The author argues that the '3R' (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) framework has unfairly shifted responsibility to consumers and that true progress requires curbing the production of virgin plastics, which the IEA predicts will drive nearly 50% of oil demand growth by 2050.

• Plastic is a persistent pollutant derived from oil and gas refining that breaks down into smaller pieces over centuries but never fully degrades, contaminating environments from the deep ocean to high mountains.
• The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that the demand for petrochemicals, specifically plastics and fertilizers, will account for nearly 50% of the global growth in oil demand by 2050.
• Recycling has largely failed as a solution, with an evaluation indicating that only 9% of all plastic ever produced has been recycled; furthermore, plastic's chemical composition weakens each time it is heated during the recycling process.
• The 2019 amendments to the Basel Convention established a legally binding mechanism to control the transboundary movement of plastic waste, requiring the prior informed consent of importing states starting in January 2021.
• The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) is exploring options to combat marine litter, including the potential negotiation of a new global treaty, which would be more inclusive than existing voluntary measures like the G20's Osaka Blue Ocean Vision or the G7's Ocean Plastics Charter.
• The global trade in plastic waste was disrupted in 2018 when China, previously the world's largest importer, banned plastic waste imports, leading other Asian countries to follow suit.
• The COVID-19 pandemic slowed progress in managing plastic pollution due to an increased demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) and plastic food packaging.

APA

Kantai, T. (2020). Faire face à la pandémie de la pollution plastique. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-04/still-one-earth-plastic-pollution-FR.pdf

Chicago

Kantai, Tallash. Faire face à la pandémie de la pollution plastique. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2020. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-04/still-one-earth-plastic-pollution-FR.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kantai |first1=Tallash |title=Faire face à la pandémie de la pollution plastique |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=December 2020 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-04/still-one-earth-plastic-pollution-FR.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kantai2020faire, author = {Kantai, Tallash}, title = {{Faire face à la pandémie de la pollution plastique}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2020}, month = dec, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-04/still-one-earth-plastic-pollution-FR.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }