Shafaqna Pakistan | by Arsal Mir- June 5th marks World Environment Day, observed annually since 1973. This global occasion serves as a critical reminder of our responsibility to protect and restore the natural environment. In recent years, the mounting evidence of environmental degradation has made it clear that ecological collapse is one of the most pressing challenges facing humanity today. While climate change and global warming have dominated headlines—and rightly so, with 2024 and 2023 being recorded as the hottest and second-hottest years in history, and 2025 likely to follow suit—they are not the only environmental emergencies demanding urgent attention.
This year’s World Environment Day is focused on the theme ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’, highlighting a crisis that is both global in scale and deeply personal in impact. According to the United Nations, more than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced annually worldwide. Alarmingly, half of that plastic is designed for single use, intended to be discarded after just one brief interaction.
Yet, less than 10 per cent of this plastic is ever recycled. Instead, millions of tonnes of plastic waste end up in natural water bodies—around 11 million tonnes each year—causing severe harm to marine ecosystems and potentially contaminating the human food chain through microplastics. Another widespread method of plastic disposal, especially in developing countries, is open burning. This not only adds to toxic air pollution but also poses serious health risks to human populations.
While historically, wealthier nations have led both in plastic production and waste generation, recent decades have seen a steady rise in the Global South’s contribution to both. This shift is due in part to increasing local consumption, but it is also the result of a troubling pattern in which richer countries export their plastic waste to less regulated, lower-income regions.
Pakistan is a prime example of how the burden is shifting. The country generates approximately four million tonnes of plastic waste annually. Shockingly, about 70 per cent of this waste remains uncollected or mismanaged. The visible consequences are evident in urban life—drains clogged with plastic trash, streets flooded after light rains, and the all-too-familiar smell of burning plastic that hangs in the air.
This constant exposure to pollution is not just unpleasant—it is dangerous. Experts estimate that air pollution, with plastic burning as a key contributor, is cutting the average life expectancy in Pakistan by nearly four years.
Plastic pollution, however, extends far beyond city streets and overflowing drains. It is increasingly infiltrating rural landscapes, where plastic waste can contaminate soil and crops. As microplastics accumulate in agricultural fields, they pose a growing risk of entering the food supply. Yet this dimension of the crisis remains poorly understood and largely ignored. In truth, much of the world, including Pakistan, has barely begun to grapple with the long-term consequences of plastic infiltration in food systems and ecosystems.
Looking ahead, the global community must act decisively and collaboratively to reduce our reliance on single-use plastics. The immediate priority should be the proper collection and recycling of existing plastic waste. At the same time, investments must be made into the development of sustainable alternatives that can replace plastic altogether.
While the transition to these alternatives will take time, improving current waste management practices is an urgent necessity that cannot wait. Moreover, the international imbalance in responsibility must be addressed. It is unacceptable that wealthy nations continue to offload their plastic waste onto countries with weaker environmental regulations. Global standards for plastic production, use, and disposal need to be strengthened and enforced uniformly to prevent further damage.
World Environment Day is more than a symbolic occasion—it is a call to action. If the global community is serious about preserving the planet for future generations, then tackling plastic pollution with the urgency and seriousness it demands must be at the forefront of our efforts.
Source: Shafaqna Pakistan
Note: Shafaqna do not endorse the views expressed in the article