Confidence of youth: UN Environment Programme mobilizes young people in plastic pollution fight

26 Apr 2023 --- The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched the next phase of Tide Turners, the world’s largest youth-led movement against the plastic pollution crisis, with the UK announcing £1.6 million‎ (US$1.9 million) of funding over the next three years. 

The new and fifth phase of the Tide Turners will focus on scaling up advocacy training for young people to enhance their relationship with policymakers. 

In an event held in New Delhi, India, with a global audience of young people, the achievements of young “environmental champions” were celebrated, and the path was set for the next three years of mobilization to combat plastic pollution.

Globally, the UNEP finds an estimated 19-23 million metric tons of plastic waste is dumped in lakes, rivers and seas annually. From the peak of Mount Everest to the bottom of the oceans, plastic pollution is rampant, harming human health, the economy, environment and threatening the achievement of sustainable development, warns the non-profit. 

Collaboration for education
Young people – entrepreneurs, community leaders and change-makers – are taking center stage in global efforts to address the plastic pollution crisis. Through the Tide Turners Plastic Challenge, UNEP works with partners, including the World Organization of the Scouts Movement, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, WWF India and the Centre for Environment Education India, to build the capacities of young people to act against plastic pollution and create a global movement.

Featuring well-known speakers such as Dia Mirza, UNEP’s goodwill ambassador, and Afroz Shah, UNEP champion of the earth, Thursday’s event brought together institutional partners and young leaders, along with a global audience of 200 people.

 The UK funding sets the path to combat plastic pollution over the next three years.Violet Adhiambo, Girls Guides of Kenya member, shares: “I trained girls in schools on how to recycle plastics and turn them into treasures. They are making decorations out of plastics, and we also have an initiative selling plastic waste for money to get uniforms. There are so many of us out there – if we all pick up plastics, we can make our environment clean.”

Tide Turners in pollution fight
Meanwhile, Sneha Shahi, a student at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India, cleaned up a river on her college campus, removing over 700 kg of plastic waste.

She explains: “We are collecting plastics on the beach but ultimately, the challenge we face is that there is no way to segregate or recycle waste in my community. The closest recycling plant is 200 km away and it’s been very costly for us.”

“The power of young people, including scouts and the girl guides, to drive environmental action, is phenomenal. The Tide Turners program has reached more than 588,000 youth globally in 40 countries and UNEP is keen to strengthen our partnership with young environmental leaders, including those gathered here, and bring their impact to the next level,” says Bruno Pozzi, deputy director of the Ecosystems Division at UNEP.

“It’s so easy to get overwhelmed by the global problems around plastic pollution but I do hope that what Tide Turners does is showing that things can move, and things are moving,” he adds. 

Word Environment Day
Sally Taylor, minister counselor for Climate and Development at the British High Commission in New Delhi, describes the commitments made by the young leaders to tackle plastic pollution as inspiring. 

The new phase starts ahead of negotiations to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, which will resume in Paris, France, between May 29 and June 2.

Additionally, this year’s World Environment Day on June 5 will focus on solutions to plastic pollution.

World Environment Day provides a critical opportunity to raise the volume on the call for governments, cities and businesses to invest in and implement solutions to end plastic pollution, stresses UNEP.

Joyce Te’o, current president of the 350 University of South Pacific, Fiji Islands, a student-led environmental club, called on policymakers to listen and support young people on environmental action: “We need your attention and for you to watch while we do.” 

Edited by Natalie Schwertheim