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Barbados led an important meeting on plastic pollution last Friday in Geneva. The event took place during major international environmental talks—the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.
Because Barbados is one of the leaders in a World Trade Organization (WTO) discussion about plastic waste and environmentally friendly plastic trade, it joined forces with Ecuador and a group that focuses on trade, the environment, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The topic was: how plastic pollution and trade rules affect the environment and health.
Six countries co-hosted the event: Barbados, Australia, China, Ecuador, Fiji, and Morocco.
Barbados’ Ambassador to the UN and WTO in Geneva, Matthew Wilson, gave the main speech. He said that although plastics are useful in areas like medicine, they also cause serious problems. He described how single-use plastics block drains, kill animals like turtles, damage nature, and now even harm human health through microplastics.
He noted that the trade side of the problem wasn’t always part of the conversation, but now it is, thanks to the WTO discussions. In 2022, plastic trade hit $1.2 trillion. If nothing changes, that could triple by 2060—especially hurting developing countries.
Barbados, as a small island nation, suffers from this problem. Plastic can take hundreds of years to break down, and it harms coral reefs, fish, tourism, and health. The Ambassador praised the Barbados Sea Turtle Project for its work to protect marine life and teach people about plastic waste in the ocean.
He also talked about better materials like seaweed, bamboo, and coconut shells, but said small island states don’t yet benefit much from selling these alternatives. Right now, they make up only 0.05% of those exports, even though they have the right kind of ecosystems.
To fight plastic pollution, Barbados started a National Action Plan in 2024. The goal is to cut plastic waste by 73% within 10 years. But Ambassador Wilson said Barbados can’t fix the problem alone—it crosses borders. Countries must work together to protect people and the planet.
Source: Barbados GIS.
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