On Monday, November 13, Nairobi welcomes delegations from 175 countries under the auspices of the UN. They will try to agree on a binding global treaty to end plastic waste. The issue is vital for the environment, in Kenya as in the rest of the world, says the director of the CCI France Kenya in Nairobi.
No more single-use plastic bags in stores and supermarkets. They have been banned everywhere in Kenya since 2017, replaced by polypropylene bags, which are much less harmful to the environment. And this is noticeable, observes Laure Paugam, executive director of the France Kenya Chamber of Commerce and Industry:
“We still see a fairly strong impact from this measure banning single-use plastics. When I came on vacation to Kenya, six years ago, the roads were littered with plastic bags, people called them “ African flowers” (African flowers, editor’s note). Today there is no more of that, it’s over.”
Coming from petrochemicals, plastic is everywhere: waste of all sizes is already found at the bottom of the oceans and on the tops of mountains. Microplastics have been detected in blood or breast milk. The fact remains that according to the Frenchwoman, this reduction in pollution is reserved for a certain part of the population:
“There is a huge part of the Kenyan population who lives on less than 80 dollars per month. So, it is true that these climate issues, linked to plastics and packaging, do not affect all these people who are struggling to have something to eat on their plate every night.”
And if the country has chosen to present itself as a champion in the fight against climate change in the region, it is also for economic reasons, analyzes Laure Paugam: “Kenya sees this whole carbon credit market as a new economic sector to develop. And in fact, Kenya has positioned itself as a pioneer, with also Rwanda, on the ban on single-use plastics.”
The stakes are therefore high for the negotiators of the 175 countries present in Nairobi, under the aegis of the UN, starting this Monday, November 13.
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Divergent positions
The countries have already met twice, but the meeting starting tomorrow, in Nairobi, will be the first opportunity to directly debate a draft international treaty.
Kenya is not starting from scratch on the subject. Last September, the country organized the first African summit dedicated to the fight against climate change: “There are many heads of state who have come, just like the Secretary General of the UN, or the President of the European Commission. We feel in any case that there is a new conversation emerging around these subjects.”
A broad consensus exists but between different countries, environmental defenders and plastic manufacturers, positions diverge. Several countries and NGOs are calling for a ban on single-use plastic products and stricter rules. While manufacturers and the main producing countries are campaigning for recycling and better waste management.
And if Kenya is getting involved in this way, it is because it is being hit hard by climate change. “In January-February of this year, Kenya experienced its worst drought in 50 years, with dramatic situations of near-starvation in the north of the country. And there, conversely, we are in the rainy season, and torrential rains are forecast which are just as catastrophic as the drought.”
There is therefore an urgent need to act
LPlastic pollution is expected to get worse. Annual production has more than doubled in 20 years to reach 460 million tonnes. It could triple by 2060, if nothing is done. However, only 9% of plastics are recycled. Plastic also plays a role in global warming: it represented 3.4% of global emissions in 2019, a figure which could more than double by 2060, according to the OECD.
After Kenya, negotiations must continue next April, in Canada, to conclude in South Korea at the end of 2024.
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