Adar Poonawalla Clean City Initiative

Plastic has become an integral part of our daily lives due to its low cost, lightweight nature, durability, and convenience. However, when misused or disposed of carelessly, it poses a serious threat to ecosystems, wildlife, marine environments, and even human health. The World Environment Day is celebrated every year on 5 June and highlights the importance of adopting sustainable practices for a better future. The theme this year is ‘ Ending Plastic Pollution’ According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), an estimated 19 to 23 million tonnes of plastic waste enter aquatic ecosystems—rivers, lakes, and oceans—every year (UNEP). The core issue with plastic is that, unlike organic materials, it doesn’t biodegrade. Instead, it breaks down into microplastics that linger in the environment for hundreds of years. Single-use plastics—such as straws, bags, and food packaging—are particularly problematic. Used for only a few minutes, they persist in nature for cent...

Triple Planetary Crisis is a term and framework adopted by the United Nations system to describe the three intersecting global environmental crises of pollution, climate crisis, biodiversity loss and/or ecological crisesThe UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Science Council (ISC) have produced reports on this issue.  Critical global shifts are accelerating a triple planetary crisis  according to the new Global Foresight Report produced by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Science Council (ISC) released in July 2024 ( https://news.un.org/en/story/ 2024/07/1152136 ) . Together, they are creating a so-called polycrisis in which global crises are amplifying and synchronizing – with huge implications for human and planetary wellbeing. Most of the challenges related to the environment today are interconnected and threaten to damage our ecosystems, affect human health and ultimately the global economy, well-being and sustainabi...