One billion for the fight against plastic pollution
Norway will spend up to NOK 1 billion to combat plastic pollution in developing countries over the next four years. This was stated by Development Minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim (Sp).
This new support is a continuation of the aid program against plastic pollution, established in 2019. Each year, more than 110 million tonnes of plastic waste are treated irresponsibly around the world.
– If nothing is done now, plastic pollution will double in the next twenty years, estimates Tvinnereim.
Representatives from several countries gathered this week for a negotiation meeting in Canada. Eirik Lindebjerg, head of the plastics team at WWF Verdas naturfond, follows the meeting.
– The promise of NOK 1 billion over four years is a good start. In order to put in place an ambitious agreement on plastics and implement the many measures needed to end plastic waste, financial support is essential. We hope that Norway's contribution will trigger similar commitments from other countries and the private sector, Lindebjerg told NRK.
The United Nations Environment Assembly decided in 2022 to develop a legally binding international agreement to end plastic pollution. The plastics deal will be finalized in Busan, South Korea, in November.
Tvinnereim will hire the Norwegian to implement the plastics deal while Climate and Environment Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen is on parental leave.
