Forum highlights urgency of reducing single-use plastics

THE PLASTIC pollution in the country has aggravated the level of floodings in various areas in Luzon as monsoon rains and recent typhoons swept through the country, a lawmaker said over the weekend.

Single-use plastics “pollute the ocean, rivers, and even canals,” House Deputy Speaker and Antique Rep. Loren B. Legarda said at the webinar series titled Stories for a Better Normal: Pandemic and Climate Pathways.

“Producing plastics also generates greenhouse gas emissions, which exacerbates global warming and climate change, which cause erratic rainfalls and rising sea levels,” said Ms. Legarda, a long-time advocate of environmental protection.

Citing a report from the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, she said Filipinos use 59.7 billion pieces of sachets, 17.5 billion pieces of shopping bags, 16.5 billion pieces of plastic labo bag, and 1.1 billion diapers yearly.

The forum hosted by Ms. Legarda gathered advocates against single-use plastics to “urgently’ reduce plastic pollution and raise awareness on the negative effects of single-use plastics on public health, environment, and climate.”

The ongoing online discussion is organized by the lawmaker’s office and the Climate Change Commission, with support from the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, The Climate Reality Project-Philippines and Mother Earth Foundation. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza