Cyprus Parliament on Thursday adopted a resolution on the environment and called for coordination of action to avert the consequences of climate crisis and plastic pollution in order to achieve the sustainable development goals. The resolution says that Cyprus as an island state will be affected to an even greater extent by the climate crisis and calls on the Government to take all necessary actions to achieve the common goal of reducing the use of unnecessary plastics and stopping their flow into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coasts and seas. It says that Cyprus should adopt measures to combat plastic pollution, including measures related to sustainable consumption and production, which should include circular economy approaches, and develop and implement national action plans. The Parliament also calls on the Government to take all the necessary measures and take the necessary actions to achieve substantial progress in meeting the sustainable development goals. The resolution states that as development gains are reversed as a result of multiple global crises, including conflict, climate change and the coronavirus pandemic, urgent action is needed to achieve the sustainable development goals and to address pressing issues. It welcomes the fact that a European Directive on the reduction of the environmental impact of certain plastic products has been incorporated into national law and emphasizes that an action plan is urgently needed for those sectors that produce the most plastic waste, such as tourism. The Parliament says that it is necessary to set realistic goals for reducing the consumption of plastics, the pollution from microplastics and for increasing the separation and recycling of plastics. It also points out that the estimated eleven million metric tons of plastic currently entering the ocean annually, will triple over the next twenty years.

Source: Cyprus News Agency