Experts say COP27’s ‘plastic waste pyramid’ is focusing on the wrong solution
Author: Fadel Dawod
Measuring nearly 33 feet high and weighing some 18 metric tons, the sculpture - made of plastic litter removed from the Nile - is truly gargantuan. The sculptors behind say it should serve as a stark message to leaders at COP27, the international climate conference that began in Sharm el-Sheikh last week, about the “incredible crisis” of plastic pollution. “Our installation will really draw attention to the scale of the problem of plastic waste in our rivers and oceans,” Justin Moran, founder of Hidden Sea, a wine company that co-sponsored the art installation, told Packaging News. The brand, which targets “socially conscious consumers” is using the sculpture to launch an initiative called 100YR CLEANUP, which is supposed to raise enough money to continuously remove plastic from the environment for the next 100 years. The plastic pyramid is eye-catching, but some environmental advocates say its focus on plastic cleanup is behind the times. They argue that what’s needed now is public pressure on policymakers and the petrochemical industry to stop making so much plastic in the first place.
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