New report findings: Impacts of plastic litter on environmental injustice

As the public grasps to understand the impact of our economic and human footprint in the global ecosystem, we see anxiously a gradual unfolding of the impacts and changes occurring at a rapid pace in the world. The report "Neglected: Environmental Justice Impacts of Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution" came about as a result of a further study conducted following the UN Environment Assembly Resolution 2/11 focused on showing how exactly is plastic pollution affecting access to justice disparities on environmental rights. Now the issue is itself complicated, for the notion "environmental rights" is rather a novice in the legal world and engulfs a vast array of legislation that have unique perspectives on these rights and what they entail. Nonetheless despite the disparity in addressing this global issue the UN came out with the famous SDGs aimed at addressing in a coordinated manner some of the global concerns, in a global context. Concretely the report had in focus analysis which touches upon SDG16 (access to justice for all), SDG14 (protection of marine ecosystems), SDG1 (poverty), and SDG2( zero hunger).

In summary, the report found important links between social disparities in access to justice in vulnerable societies and environmental guarantees for healthy living. The most important message of this report is the urging call for the recognition of the consequences befalling on communities affected by plastic waste regardless of whether they are in Indonesia or the Mediterranean and across the Atlantic, in the Caribbean, or the Pacific. A proper representation of their interests through inclusion in local decision-making is a necessity in facing this colossal challenge imposed upon the generations living in the 21st century. Find the full report on the following link: https://wedocs.unep.org/xmlui/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/35417/EJIPP.pdf