Canada continues to demonstrate its commitment to addressing the global plastic pollution crisis.
As part of its participation in negotiations towards the development of a historic and ambitious global agreement to end plastic pollution, Canada will host the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) in Ottawa, Ontario, in April 2024.
Canada has provided funding of 5 million Canadian dollars (US$ 3.7 million) to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to support efforts to ensure inclusive, equitable and transparent negotiations towards an international legally binding agreement on plastic pollution and other priorities, including nature-based solutions and methane emissions reduction.
As the leading global authority on the environment and with its strong convening power to bring all environmental stakeholders together, UNEP has been a partner of choice for Member States on pressing environmental issues since its inception in 1972. UNEP provides science-based advice to policymakers and decision-makers worldwide to support transformative action on environmental challenges.
The funding aligns well with the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste, which are at the heart of the organization’s work under its Medium-Term Strategy. Plastic pollution represents a serious environmental problem at a global scale, negatively impacting not only the ecological but also the social and economic dimensions of sustainable development.
Strong support towards a global agreement on plastic pollution
A recently published UNEP report, Turning Off The Tap On Plastic Pollution, highlights that ending plastic pollution is possible under a systems-change scenario. This addresses the root causes of plastic pollution rather than just the symptoms and moving towards a lifecycle approach to plastics.
The solutions are available now, and with the necessary regulatory instruments in place, the results include a wide range of economic benefits while reducing damage to human health, the environment and the climate.
During the fifth UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2), a historic resolution, End plastic pollution: towards an International legally binding instrument, was adopted by Member States, which acts as a vital and strong signal of commitment. Canada and Ghana played a fundamental role as co-facilitators in this process, bringing countries together and building consensus.
“Our environment, and the many people and communities affected, simply cannot wait—meaningful commitments are needed now. That’s why Canada supports an ambitious, legally binding global agreement on plastics that takes into account the life cycle of plastic pollution,” said Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
To develop this legally binding international instrument, the INC was established, with UNEP hosting the secretariat. The first session was convened in Uruguay in November 2022, and the second session wrapped up negotiations on 2 June 2023.
As an inaugural member of the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution, Canada is an international leader in the fight to beat plastic pollution, advancing science, policy and action. Domestically, Canada is implementing a comprehensive plan to reduce plastic pollution, improve how plastics are made, used and managed, and move towards a life cycle approach to plastics.
Canada is working with partners to implement the Ocean Plastics Charter and Canada-wide Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste and Action Plan through a range of complementary solutions across the plastics lifecycle. This includes banning certain single-use plastic items and developing labelling rules and minimum recycled content requirements for plastic products. Canada is also developing a plastic registry to collect and publish data annually on plastics placed on the Canadian market and how these products are managed at end-of-life, among other important actions.
Ambitious action on climate change and biodiversity loss
With Canada experiencing the immediate impacts of climate change, warming twice as fast as the global average, the country is driving ambitious climate action. For example, Canada is a global innovator in pollution pricing, one of the most efficient ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and drive clean innovation.
Carbon pricing has been in place in Canada in every jurisdiction since 2019. At the Climate Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau challenged the world to triple the global coverage of carbon pricing by 2030. A year later, the Global Carbon Pricing Challenge was rolled out. This Canadian-led initiative calls on all countries to adopt pollution pricing as a central part of their climate strategies.
Canada also strongly supports UNEP’s work on climate change, and recent funding from Canada gives additional support to the work of curbing methane emissions, which are responsible for around 30 per cent of the global rise in temperatures. The country was an early supporter of the Global Methane Pledge, which aims to reduce global methane emissions by 30 per cent below 2020 levels by 2030.
In December 2022, around 200 countries met in Montréal for the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15). After 13 days of negotiations at the largest ever conference for biodiversity conservation, 196 parties agreed on a historic global framework to safeguard nature and halt and reverse biodiversity loss, putting nature on a path to recovery by 2050.
“Just as Paris produced an agreement to keep global temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius, in Montréal we have reached an agreement that commits to the protection of 30 percent of global land and water by 2030…The health of our forests, oceans, animals, and all biodiversity, underpins the very strength and stability of our societies,” said Guilbeault.
Long-standing partnership
Canada's long-standing affiliation with UNEP shows its commitment to international environmental cooperation and its recognition of the importance of collective action in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. For over 50 years, the Government of Canada has contributed to the Environment Fund, UNEP’s core source of flexible, unrestricted funds.
Under the current multi-year funding agreement between the Government of Canada and UNEP (2020-2024), Canada’s annual contribution is 3.1 million Canadian dollars (US$ 2.3 million). Canada has increased its 2023 pledge by an additional 700,000 Canadian dollars (US$ 524,000) resulting in a total contribution of 3.8 million Canadian dollars (US$ 2.8 million). This surpasses Canada’s full share level as determined by the indicative scale of contributions to UNEP agreed by Member States.
As a trusted partner, UNEP is committed to efficiency and effectiveness to ensure the best value for money for taxpayers, funding partners and investors.
Together, UNEP and its Member States continue to lead the way in inspiring ambitious action towards a future where humanity can co-exist with nature on a climate-stable planet that is free of pollution.
