ISLAMABAD, Jun 5 (APP): Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Senator Sherry Rehman on Monday announced that the government has decided to ban single-use polythene items in Prime Minister Secretariat, federal ministries and in all the divisions to end non-degradable plastic use as model for the nation to embrace behavioural change for beating plastic pollution.
Addressing a seminar in connection with the World Environment Day at Shaheed Bhutto Foundation (SBF), the federal minister informed that the ban would be imposed from today at PM Secretariat and federal government divisions would be directed to ensure refillable water bottles and containers for official use.
Senator Rehman informed that the prime minister has endorsed it and regulations would be released in the evening.
However, the plastic manufacturers have directed to stop manufacturing of non-degradable plastics and by August 1, 2023 it would be discontinued.
She said environment has become a serious topic at present but there was very low awareness among the public on the matter that made it necessary to hold maximum events of this kind.
“Unless a community, household, office, trader, manufacturer or others do not contribute their input; no policy can come from the blue as climate policy cannot be policed it demand mutual consensus.”
“Human legacy of this generation would be heaps and mountains of plastics as entire world recycles 9% plastic waste and it is not being recycled. Only Norway do 100% recycling of plastics and then Germany.
The European countries can do it because they have environmental literacy,” she added.
Some 624 containers, she said were dumped on our beaches full of hazardous plastics because the world was unable to recycle it, adding, “This plastic is going into our rivers, drains and oceans. We turned River Indus into the second most polluted river of the world.”
The minister underlined that there was no plan and planet B as we cannot throw away this planet.
“Plastics are not degrading even after a century. It is where it is and it’s proliferating. By 2050 plastics will be more than marine life in world oceans,” she added.
Senator Rehman noted that without active citizenship government could not police its policies and regulations as no policy was successful without student and youth engagement.
“This is becoming humanity’s biggest sin of polluting entire environment. We have skin in this game that we have to reduce plastic pollution for our coming generations because it is our next generation’s matter,” she concluded.
Vice President, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Central Punjab, and CEO Shaheed Bhutto Foundation, Asif Khan in his welcome remarks said Senator Sherry Rehman had gotten international recognition for her work and got position among most powerful women due to her strong international campaign on floods 2022 and dedicated work on scientific grounds to highlight climate crisis in the country.
He emphasised that there was a specific department of environment in every district and local body department.
It could be necessary to provide powers to this department. Moreover, the national disaster management should also be linked to the grassroots level alongwith strengthening of civil defence to serve both in war and peace, he suggested.
He added that public awareness was must through delegating powers to local governments especially for environment department to ensure climate resilience.
A video documentary on plastic pollution presented by Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination was also presented.
Dr Nisar Hussain Bukhari said the region was witnessing temperature rise and sipked up GHG emissions and everyone was contributing to it. He added that legislation was done by the government, but it was implemented by the masses.
“It is a long term fight that had to be started from nursery to masters level of education,” he added.
Former Accountant General Punjab and ex-Auditor General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Namatullah Babar also expressed his views on climate crisis and demanded a unified climate action to ensure climate resilience.
Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, MNA Naz Baloch said it was the society’s responsibility as a whole to create a safe and eco-friendly environment for its coming generations.
“It’s the basic civic sense that bounds citizens to avoid plastic pollution and littering. Climate education has become our need and we are working with the education ministry in this regard,” she added.
Baloch underlined that individual sense of responsibility was very important in managing and protecting environment as action needs commitment and nation has to show it.
The event ended with a special dance performance by Khanzada Asfandyar Khattak of Teri Nawab Darbar.