National statement delivered by Ambassador Olof Skoog on behalf of Sweden at World Environment Day 2018, 5 June 2018, New York.
Thank you to India and UNEP for hosting this important celebration of World Environment Day. This day gives us occasion to reflect upon the way we treat our planet. As you are well aware of this year’s theme is “beating plastic pollution”. A theme which we certainly welcome, as it is a top priority for our country.
This week we also celebrate the first anniversary since the historic Ocean Conference, which we hosted together with Fiji here at the UN. During the conference many stakeholders made voluntary commitments regarding the protection of our oceans. I would like to highlight that the list of commitments has not closed, there is still room for more pledges. The discussions that took place then, and the commitments made as a result of the summit, serves as a platform for our discussions here today and for further environmental action.
It is as clear now, as it was then, that beating plastic pollution is highly interlinked with protecting our oceans - and it is clear that neither our oceans nor our environment can wait any longer.
For too long, we have treated plastic products as disposables. We have produced – used and simply thrown away plastics in a dangerously linear pattern. Up to 13 million tons of plastic ends up in our oceans annually, where it pollutes and toxifies the water. Every year 100 000 mammals and one million birds continue to die as a result of consuming, or getting stuck in, plastics. If we continue down the current road - there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050. I do not want to leave the planet in that condition for future generations.
However, this scenario is not bound to happen - there is still time to take action - but it requires that we step up our efforts now.
Swedish commitments on Plastic and Oceans
From the Swedish perspective, sustainability and treating our environment with respect is not a choice or an ambition it is a responsibility. Our strong commitment to shouldering this responsibility has made Sweden one of the leading nations in environmental action. Globally and nationally. Beating plastic pollution and protecting our oceans lies at the very heart of our environmental policy.
On a national level, the Swedish government has a comprehensive, whole of society approach to meet the environmental challenges progressively, responsibly and at all levels. A few examples:
- Sweden is among the top countries in the world when it comes to recycling plastic. Around 85% of all plastic bottles are currently being recycled, but we aim to step up this effort to reach 90%.
- We have also drastically reduced our consumption of plastic bags in the past year as a result of a new government policy requiring retail stores to inform customers of their environmental impact. This prompted leading companies of the industry to start charging money for the bags causing the consumption to drop up to 50%.
- We have taken action to enhance the quality of our water, by banning the use of micro-plastic in a range of cosmetic products.
- In a targeted effort for clean oceans the Swedish government has committed to invest over 10 million USD annually, to reduce the spread of micro plastics and other plastic products. This includes beach cleaning activities and educational programs.
- Last week the Swedish government launched an initiative to develop a new strategy to reverse the negative trend in the Swedish ocean environment and make sure that Sweden lives up to its commitments to SDG 14.
On a global level,Sweden is a large donor to international environmental initiatives and programs focusing on combating marine pollution. We are also one of the top donors to UNEP and actively engaged in their campaign #CleanSeas.
All these efforts demonstrate Sweden’s commitment to take serious action in combating plastic pollution.
The pledge to reduce plastic at the mission
It is important to recognize, however, that beating plastic pollution is not an abstract task or a responsibility solely for governments. To a large extent, we can change the current disastrous trend by changing our everyday habits. Each and everyone of us here - as part of the UN, as diplomats, as human beings - play a part in creating a more sustainable environment. I therefore ask you this: how will you contribute to the fight against plastic pollution?
At the permanent mission of Sweden we are committed to do our part. Together with the mission of Costa Rica we have recently taken an initiative to stop using single use plastic items as well as reducing the use of other types of plastics at our premises. .
On the 25th of May we sent a joint letter to all the UN missions, inviting you to join us in this endeavour. We commend those of you who have already pledged to do so, Palau, Panama, Estonia, Iraq and Slovenia. We hope that all missions will join us shortly.
I hope that ten years from now, looking back to this point in time, we will conclude that it was the turning point for beating plastic pollution. Let us, therefore, join efforts and seize this opportunity to step up and meet our responsibility to the environment and to future generations.