UN / ENVIRONMENT SOLHEIM
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STORY: UN / ENVIRONMENT SOLHEIM
TRT: 1:54
SOURCE : UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS : NONE
LANGUAGE : ENGLISH /NATS
DATELINE : 7 JUNE 2017, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, UN Headquarters
2. Wide shot, press room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Erik Solheim, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme:
“We cannot continue to dump plastic into global oceans. If it continues at present rate, the weight of plastic will be the same as the weight of fish by 2050. This is a huge issue in many dimensions; it’s a huge economic issue for many developing states and also developed states.”
4. Cutaway, reporters
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Erik Solheim, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme:
“Of course we also want to work with the plastic industry, they need to change. They need to change into recyclable plastic, to degradable plastic and in alternative products made of sugar canes or bamboo or whatever it may be. All these can be done, this is in a way one of the easiest tasks to take upon and I am confident that we will resolve it but we need a strong engagement from everyone – governments, citizens and businesses.”
6. Cutaway, reporters
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Erik Solheim, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme:
“Eighty percent of the plastics in oceans are coming from land, not from fishing and shipping or an activities at sea and we need to stop it at source and that is about making recyclable plastic systems, making degradable plastics and it’s about simply cutting down on use and move to other alternatives.”
8. Cutaway, reporter
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Erik Solheim, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme:
“We believe that probably China at the moment is the biggest polluter of plastic to global oceans because of course of the enormous population and affluent population who use a lot of plastic and it gets into Yangtze and other rivers and get into the sea. So at the moment China is taking action and we will be with them in doing that.”
10. Wide shot, press room
The head of the UN Environment Programme told reporters in New York that “the weight of plastic will be the same as the weight of fish by 2050”if humans continue to dump the plastic into world oceans at present rate.
Erik Solheim, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) spoke to reporters on the sidelines of the Ocean Conference, taking place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 5 to 9 June 2017.
The Ocean Conference, the first of its kind, aims to be the game changer that will reverse the decline in the health of our ocean for people, planet and prosperity. The conference is expected to identify ways and means to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 – which is to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
Solheim said that the proposed strategy targets governments, citizens and businesses and it will need “a strong engagement from everyone” to get things done.
He also said “we also want to work with the plastic industry, they need to change. They need to change into recyclable plastic, to degradable plastic and in alternative products made of sugar canes or bamboo or whatever it may be.”
The executive director said support from governments is crucial since some eighty percent of plastic that ends up in the oceans is coming from land and not from fishing, shipping and other activities on sea,
He said “we need to stop it at source and that is about making recyclable plastic systems, making degradable plastics and it’s about simply cutting down on use and move to other alternatives.”
Solheim pointed at China as “the biggest polluter of plastic to global oceans because of course of the enormous population and affluent population who use a lot of plastic and it gets into Yangtze and other rivers and get into the sea” but he also underlined that the Chinese government is actively addressing the issue.
Director said “at the moment China is taking action and we will be with them in doing that.”