Go Circular – opinion piece by Karmenu Vella

Karmena Vella, EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, was interviewed by UNEP for the May edition of the ‘Our Planet’ magazine.

In his article, the Commissioner linked marine litter with the circular economy , stating that “at least one third of the world’s plastic waste is neither collected nor managed, so it’s no surprise that so much ends up in the seas.” A circular economy would not only benefit the environment but would also be smart economics.

Litter can be seen as part of a larger problem. The way we produce and consume today is unsustainable. “If we continue down the path of ‘make, use, dispose’, unwanted side effects are inevitable.”

In order to tackle this issue, the Commissioner said that the EU will invest 1.3 billion euros specifically for environment and climate-related global public goods and challenges by 2020.

Read the full article in ‘Our Planet’: http://bit.ly/29o1fWp

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