PUBLISHED ON DECEMBER 16, 2018BY AWWES
On Wednesday, December 5th, 2018, while everyone else was watching the controversial Conservative motion get killed in the Canadian House of Commons, a lesser known motion that could enable us to better deal with another form of pollution saw 100% support from representatives of every party. Plastic pollution.
While Canada is a small contributor to marine pollution, compared to many other coastal countries around the world, a national plan to deal with plastic pollution goes beyond our country’s contribution to pollution of our oceans, waterways and beaches. It establishes some base concepts that will strengthen our current recycling and waste management efforts.
According to the website of NDP Gord John’s, On November 1, 2017 MP Gord Johns (Courtenay-Alberni) introduced motion M-151, which calls on the government to develop a national strategy to address ocean plastics. M-1512 outlines an effective foundation for Ocean Plastic policy including concrete steps which Canada needs to adopt. Mr. Johns’ motion was based on a report from the University of Victoria’s Environmental Law the motion draws from recommendations published by the University of Victoria’s Environmental Law Centre in August. See the full report for more information.
Private Members’ Business M-151 – Pursuant to Order made Thursday, November 29, 2018, the House proceeded to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion of Mr. Johns (Courtenay—Alberni), seconded by Mr. Cannings (South Okanagan—West Kootenay), — That, in the opinion of the House;
The government should work with the provinces, municipalities, and indigenous communities to develop a national strategy to combat plastic pollution in and around aquatic environments, which would include the following measures:
- (a) regulations aimed at reducing
- (i) plastic debris discharge from stormwater outfalls,
- (ii) industrial use of micro-plastics including, but not limited to, microbeads, nurdles, fibrous microplastics and fragments,
- (iii) consumer and industrial use of single use plastics, including, but not limited to, plastic bags, bottles, straws, tableware, polystyrene (foam), cigarette filters, and beverage containers; and
- (b) permanent, dedicated, and annual funding for the
- (i) cleanup of derelict fishing gear,
- (ii) community-led projects to clean up plastics and debris on shores, banks, beaches and other aquatic peripheries,
- (iii) education and outreach campaigns on the root causes and negative environmental effects of plastic pollution in and around all bodies of water.
YEAS: 288, NAYS: 0
Gord Johns on Hanjin anniversary
Plastic debris in the marine environment is widely documented, but the quantity of plastic entering the ocean from waste generated on land is unknown. By linking worldwide data on solid waste, population density, and economic status, we estimated the mass of land-based plastic waste entering the ocean. We calculate that 275 million metric tons (MT) of plastic waste was generated in 192 coastal countries in 2010, with 4.8 to 12.7 million MT entering the ocean. Population size and the quality of waste management systems largely determine which countries contribute the greatest mass of uncaptured waste available to become plastic marine debris. Without waste management infrastructure improvements, the cumulative quantity of plastic waste available to enter the ocean from land is predicted to increase by an order of magnitude by 2025.*
*Source: MARINE POLLUTION Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean – sciencemag.org
Feature image source – Pixabay.com
