Earth Day & Oceana Canada – The plastic issue

Oceana Canada was established as an independent charity in 2015 and is part of the largest international advocacy group dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana Canada has successfully campaigned in Canada to end the shark fin trade, make rebuilding depleted fish populations the law, improve the way fisheries are managed and protect marine habitat.

Earth Day is partnering with Oceana in Canada to draw attention to the devastating consequences of plastic pollution on wildlife, and the impact of microplastics and their toxic chemicals on human health. As governments of the world gather in Ottawa, Canada, for the United Nations Global Plastic Treaty (INC-4) to negotiate how the growing global plastic problem can be curbed, the plastic industry must come clean on the impact of plastics on the environment and human health.

To help illuminate the issues, Earth Day and Oceana in Canada, projected key messages onto prominent buildings in Ottawa, including the Supreme Court and Parliament Buildings: PLASTIC IS TOXIC, IF PLASTIC WINS, WE LOSE and WE KNOW YOU KNOW. Because we know the petrochemical industry is aware of the research linking microplastics and their toxic additive chemicals on the negative impact on human health.

“The plastic industry is coming to Ottawa to sell the idea that recycling is the key to solving the plastic problem the world faces.  They will claim the solution is a circular plastic economy,” said Kathleen Rogers, the President of Earth Day. “Yet they know, we recycle less than 10% of our plastic worldwide, and a circular economy for plastics, doesn’t address the growing research on how microplastics and their additive chemicals impact human health. Plastics break down into tiny fragments called microplastics and are associated with a whole range of serious issues –from strokes, to cancers, male infertility, even obesity. The only solution is to cap plastic production globally. We know the industry will fight to prevent any reduction in plastic production and we will fight harder to see it done.”

Earth Day’s founders created and organized the very first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. Since then, Earth Day has mobilized over 1 billion people annually on Earth Day to protect the planet. Its mission is to diversify, educate, and activate the environmental community worldwide. Earth Day is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 150,000 partners in nearly 192 countries to build environmental democracy.