Demonstrators call for end to plastic pollution as UN treaty talks set to begin in Ottawa
More than 100 people marched from Parliament Hill Sunday as delegates from the United Nations are set to gather in Ottawa the week of Earth Day to discuss how to eliminate plastic waste.
- Sign up now for our daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
More than 4,000 delegates and 176 countries are coming to the capital in hopes of creating a legally-binding global treaty to eliminate plastic waste by 2040.
With the fourth of five rounds of negotiations set to take place this week, the goal is to have a deal finalized by the end of the year.
Demonstrators were calling for an end to plastic pollution.
"I think it’s imperative that the voices of Indigenous people, especially here in Canada, are at the forefront of these treaty negotiations. We’re not stakeholders. We are the people of the land. We are the scientists. We are the knowledge keepers," said Ginwkwe, knowledge keeper at the Society of Native Nations.
The use of plastic has dramatically increased in the past decade. Canadian Climate Institute president Rick Smith says half of all plastic ever produced has been made in just the past 15 years.
"There’s so much plastic waste in the environment now and one of the main issues with plastic now is that we are actually absorbing it into our bodies," Smith said.
Its impact on nature and growing health concerns are leading the push to get rid of plastic waste and eliminate problematic chemicals used to make it.
"There’s a lot of commonality amongst countries gathered here that we need to grapple with the problem and find solutions because waste management systems everywhere in the world are overwhelmed," Smith said.
Plastic production and waste is expected to triple by 2060, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.
But less than 10 per cent of the plastic used across the globe is recycled. Here in Canada, 80 per cent ends up in the landfill or as garbage for someone else to pick up.
Daniel Whiting and his two daughters were among dozens of volunteers getting a jump start on Earth Day, collecting garbage.
"We’ve only been out here maybe 15 minutes and I’ve got a full bin and they’ve each got two full bags already," said Whiting.
Delegates will begin negotiations on Tuesday and they’re expected to run for seven days.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
Dabney Coleman, actor who specialized in curmudgeons, dies at 92
Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in '9 to 5' and the nasty TV director in 'Tootsie,' has died. He was 92.
BREAKING Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.
Person charged in random assault on actor Steve Buscemi in New York
A person wanted in connection with the random assault on actor Steve Buscemi on a New York City street earlier this month was taken into custody Friday, police said.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Australia's richest woman seeks removal of her portrait from exhibition
Art is subjective. And while many artists long to share their work with the world, there's no guarantee that the audience will understand it, or even like it.
Video appears to show Sean 'Diddy' Combs beating singer Cassie in hotel hallway in 2016
Security video aired by CNN appears to show Sean 'Diddy' Combs physically assaulting singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016.
A look back at Alberta's record-breaking wildfire season
By the end of the 2023 wildfire season in Alberta, 1,088 wildfires had burned more than 2.2 million hectares of land, and this year, the wildfire season is already in full swing.