Every year 5th June is observed as the World Environment Day (WED). Itcalls for action from every individual for a greener, healthier and sustainable planet Earth. Currently, the world is grappling with a host of pressing environmental challenges that demand immediate attention and action; from climate change-induced disasters to biodiversity loss and plastic pollution. Over the years these challenges getintensified with no visible sustainable remedies, and the primary reason for environmental degradation is attributed to human action.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), presented an Assessment Report on Issues of Concern: Chemicals and Waste Issues Posing Risks to Human Health and the Environment.The report aims to inform the international community about the current situation of specific issues of concern, based on a review of published evidence, in order to support further discussion at policy and decision-making forum towards sound management of chemicals and waste.The report assesses 8 emerging policy issues and other issues of concern identified as: (i) chemicals in products, (ii) endocrine disrupting chemicals, (iii) environmentally persistent pharmaceutical pollutants, (iv) hazardous substances in the life cycle of electrical and electronic products, (v) highly hazardous pesticides, (vi) lead in paint, (vii)nanomaterials, and (viii) per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs).
If we look in-depth into thesesubstances,some shelf life is eternal or they are indestructible, and hence are aptly termed as ‘forever chemicals’ due to their persistent nature and slow degradation in the environment and human bodies.The PFAsare a group of synthetic chemicals that can be present in our water, soil, air, and food as well as in materials found in our homes or workplaces. They are known to bioaccumulate in organisms including human.The gravityis that these chemicals exist in many products related to our daily needs, including plastic food containers and cosmetics. We are constantly in contact with these chemicals, and ignorance pose high risk to our health.
A report published by the UNEP global waste management outlook 2024, entitled Beyond an age of waste: turning rubbish into resource, states that every year across the globe more than two billion tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) is generated. If packed into standard shipping containers and placed end-to-end, this waste would wrap around the Earth’s equator 25 times, or further than traveling to the moon and back. Municipal waste is generated wherever there are human settlements. It is influenced by each person in the world, with every purchasing decision, through daily practices and in the choices made about managing waste in the home. The way people buy, use and discard materials determines the amount of energy and raw materials used and how much waste is generated. Municipal waste is thus intrinsically linked to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.
Globally, the widespread practices of open dumping and burning of waste pose a significant challenge for human and planetary health. Each year millions of people die from diseases related to mismanaged waste that include diarrhoea, malaria, heart disease and cancer.Dumped waste attracts vermin and blocks drains, leading to local flooding and the fostering of breeding grounds for disease-mosquitoes, and ultimately contributing to river and marine plastic pollution.Waste burning generates a wide range of airborne pollutants including Unintentional Persistent Organic Pollutants and other chemicals of concern for public health. Pollutants from mismanaged waste can bioaccumulate in the food chain and in mothers’ breast milk, with potential multigenerational consequences. Black carbon emitted from open burning has adverse impacts on human health and the environment. It is a powerful atmospheric warming agent that increases the melting rate of polar ice.
Plastics are the most widely occurring and abundant physical contaminant in MSW compost. They are found in all major MSW categories, including bags, sacks and wraps; other packaging; polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and jars; high-density polyethylene (HDPE) natural bottles; and other containers. Manufacturers also use plastic in durable goods, such as appliances, furniture, casings of lead-acid batteries and other products.
Plastic pollution has become ubiquitous in natural and built environments, raising concerns about potential harm to humans and nature alike. For decades, plastic pollution has seeped into every corner of the world, leaching into the water we drink, into the food we eat, and our bodies. Once it is in the environment, research shows that plastic pollution is persistent and may take between 100 to 1,000 years or more to decompose, depending on environmental conditions. In the environment, plastic pollution can fragment into smaller pieces of plastic forming a substance called as microplastic. A study in 2023 reported that microplastics stimulate the release of endocrine disruptors in our bodies. These can mimic or interfere with the role of hormones, ultimately affecting our body’s natural processes. It can also carry other toxic chemicals such as heavy metals and organic pollutants during adsorption, which can adversely affect human, the final consumers.
The 2025 edition of WED focuses on putting an end to plastic pollution. It aims at mobilizing communities worldwide to implement and advocate for solutions, spotlighting the growing scientific evidence on the impacts of plastic pollution and drive momentum to refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rethink plastics use.
WED 2025 calls for a disciplinary action from every individual and to begin with responsibly manage household waste, which is very relevant in local context.Coming out of our homes, on the road leading to every town and city, there is a dedicated place for dumping of waste. It is like a ‘welcome’ marker to travelers and some travelers delightedly responds ‘thank you, we are coming (to add more rubbish)’.The primary reasons for persistent problem related to waste mismanagement and its ill impact on our health and environment areignorance, lack of efficient waste recycling mechanism, and individual’s preference for ‘matter of convenience’. Solving the issue therefore demand some level of behavioral change from every citizen and a genuine intention from policy makers to bring a Visible Change.While plastic pollution is a major concern, it is also one of the most fixable of today’s environmental challenges, with some obvious solutions at hand. If every individual actively practicesenvironmentally friendly habit, promoterecycling and segregation of waste, coupled with a proper policy guided by sound scientific basis to regulate waste disposal and its sustainable management, then we are on course towards a healthier environment; An environment that delivers clean air to breathe, pure water to drink and healthy food to eat.
We cannot afford to remain in inertia to the prevailing issue of plastic pollution. Plastic is harmful not only for the soil, air and water bodies, but the ultimate losers are the human beings, who are dependent directly on the surrounding environment.
L Phom
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Zoology
Sao Chang College, Tuensang.