King Charles III and other attendees at this week’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa are being greeted by confronting ads calling for action on plastic pollution.
Organised by Australian billionaire Andrew Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation, the advertising campaign includes an image of a child vomiting up plastic.
It will be plastered across Samoa’s Faleolo International Airport at arrivals, baggage claim, an external welcome screen, and at a VIP airport terminal, just in time for Charles’ arrival.
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The British monarch is due to touch down in Apia this afternoon following his whirlwind tour of Australia.
He will be one of dozens of delegates at the Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also attending.
The Minderoo Foundation says it wants a plastics treaty to deal with the pollution – and its health impacts – put on the agenda of the meeting.
“A global plastics treaty is not a nice to have – it is a need to have,” director and former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill said.
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“2.5 billion citizens live in Commonwealth countries, with more than 60 per cent aged 29 or under. Our children deserve to have a future where their bodies are not involuntarily riddled with dangerous chemicals stemming from plastic.
“When faced with similar health crises stemming from other chemicals, including mercury, the world has come together and agreed a framework to protect human health.
“This is the chance for countries to do the same and protect the health of their citizens by agreeing a list of chemicals to be included in the global plastics treaty.”
The foundation has been advocating for such a treaty for the past two years.
“We know there has been significant opposition to the treaty by countries that produced plastic and the petrochemical industry,” Weatherill said.
“These interest groups and nations argue that reducing consumer demand and recycling are sufficient responses to this crisis. This is a fallacy. We cannot recycle our way out.
“Almost all plastic produced still exists in our environment which means we are still exposed to it and the chemicals used in its manufacturing.
“A comprehensive treaty with the protection of human health at its core is the first step in addressing this crisis.”
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting runs until Saturday.
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