Action Plan

AUTHORS: 

This Action Paper is tailored to accommodate a wide range of concerns and

is by no means exhaustive. These are mere recommendations which can be
expanded on and be used for future thematic policy deliberations in United
Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).

GENERAL COMMENT: The Committee Members identified various

aspects of plastic waste management and its effect on ecosystem while
stressing the need for collective approach towards a shared solution.
Addressing the issue of plastic was held integral to the successful
implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 13.

Guiding Principles and Recommendations:

Recognising the erosion of principle of Combined but Differentiated

Responsibilities under the Paris Agreement due to the absence and ignorance of
liability and compensation responsibility in it, 
Noting with deep concern the absence of effective checks and balance
mechanism under the Paris agreement due to overwhelming leverage given to
member states in terms of flexibility of Nationally Determined Contributions and
the presence of withdrawal clause, 
Recalling the importance of carbon budgeting in light of a more effective and just
system, Taking note of the end to bifurcation of between Annex 1 and Annex 2
countries under the Paris Agreement,
Reaffirming the commitments of countries in reference to Doha Amendment on
Climate Change Recalling the Bali Action Plan and Cancun Agreement in
contribution of environmentally sustainable manner, 
Requesting member states to incorporate the corporate social responsibility as per
the engagement architecture that includes the methodology of prioritisation and
bifurcation of roles and responsibilities towards the proper legislation of the
Sustainable Development Goals with special emphasis on mitigating climate
change impacts;
Urging member nations to maintain accountability and gradually eliminate
neutrality for carbon units within the carbon certification whenever issued and to
review on a periodic basis; 
Recognising the important role of provision of incentives to cut emissions of
GHG (Green House Gases) through various tools including carbon pricing based
on financing mechanisms such as the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation
and Forest Degradation (REDD);
Suggesting member nations to consider compensation for loss and damages
caused as a result of climate change initiated disasters in accordance with the
Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with climate
change impacts;
Emphasising on the need of green technology sharing between developed and
developing, specially Least Developed Countries to promote better integration to
achieve commitments and targets set forth under article 10 of the Paris
Agreement; 
Urging member nations, while laying emphasis on the already set targets for
renewable energy in the energy usage mix, to provide for more scope of inclusion
of renewable energy in the energy consumption pattern;
Requesting member states to keep in mind providing right data to right person,
and share data with the Government Group of Experts, international and regional
organisations, concerning all the carbon fuel emissions , ensuring accountability
and transparency, 

Supports the suggestion made by the UN Inter-Agency and Expert Group on the
SDG indicators ( IAEG-SDGs ) 10th meeting ( 21-24 October ) to add
“Greenhouse Gas Emissions” to the global set of indicators under SDG 13.2
( Integrate Climate Change measure into national policies, strategies and
planning ) which will be proposed to the UN Statistical Commission in March
2020,

Article 1: Creating Awareness

Recommends  the formation of a two-fold  Climate Change Awareness

Plan (C.C.A.P) under the ambit of the United Nations Alliance of
Climate Change: Education, this action plan shall include governmental
as well as public awareness:

1.  Work with the World Meteorological Organisation (W.M.O) and

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change( I.P.C.C. ) to provide
 comprehensive reports, tailored for heads of states of nations to help
them take informed decisions when formulating Climate Change
Mitigation and adaptation policies,
2. Establish a global campaign that would aim to propagate the severity
of climate change and its consequences, with the cooperation of
United Nations’ Department of Public Information,
3. Recommends national ambassadors to be appointed by member states
to promote climate change mitigation awareness;
Recommends the Knowledgeable, Easy and  Environment-friendly
Production and Utilization of Plastic (KEEP-UP) plan for the
implementation of sustainable and environmentally beneficial practices for
usage and disposal of plastic which should include but not be limited to : - 

d. Filtering of items before sending them to local Material Recycling

Facilities (MRFs),

e. Systematic phasing out of Single Use Plastics (SUPs),

f. Working in coherence with the international scientific community,

    d.Promote incentivisation for shift to biodegradable alternatives;

Proposes organisations that organise competitions like Hackathons with the
collaboration between Public organisations and NGO’s in order to promote
incentives for coming up with better innovations. Such competitions shall
help generate awareness at school as well as university levels.

Article 2: Community Based Programmes

1. Proposes the creation of separate dustbins in order to improve waste

segregation and improve the percentage of recycling. 
2. Boycott the products being used currently which contain a large
concentration of plastic such as certain sanitary napkins and diapers.
3. Urges Enactus teams at a global level to encourage slum dwellers to
participate in ‘Ecopreneurship Project’ which helps to generate
employment through plastics. 
 

Article 3: Data Science and Research

 1.Recommends the use and development of intelligent and innovative
technologies such as :-
     a. Using Blockchain technology in the process of recycling and reusing
in order to monitor and ensure the transparency.
g. Using mobile, cloud and Internet of Things in order to integrate the
last mile collectors into an integrated whole in order to track the
flow of waste which can be used for data analysis.
g. Using Specialised micro emulsions in order for separating mixed
materials and making recycling easier.
d.Developing the technology of Immolative plastics further.

2.Decides to convene, subject to the availability of resources, meetings of

an open-ended ad hoc expert group to examine and study the impact of
terrestrial plastic litter and possible solutions, similar to the ad-hoc expert
group on marine litter constituted in the UNEP resolution 3/7, and:
i.  Requests the Executive Director to assign the work to the secretariat

j.  Decides that the open-ended ad hoc expert group will include experts
with the required technical expertise from all member States,
representation from international and regional conventions and
organizations and relevant stakeholders

k.  Decides to convene at least one meeting before sixth session of the

United Nations Environment Assembly, including enabling the
participation of developing countries

l. Decides that the open-ended ad hoc expert group will have the
following initial programme of work:

i. To explore all barriers to combating terrestrial litter, including

challenges related to resources in developing countries,

ii. To identify the range of national, regional and international 

response options, including actions and innovative approaches,

iii. To identify environmental, social and economic feasibility,

iv. To identify potential options for continued for deliberation     by

the United Nations Environment Assembly;
Recommends  the formation of a Climate Change Awareness Plan
(C.C.A.P) under the ambit of the United Nations Alliance of Climate
Change: Education, training and public awareness that shall:

m. Work with the World Meteorological Organisation (W.M.O) and

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change( I.P.C.C. ) to provide
comprehensive reports, tailored for heads of states of nations to help
them take informed decisions when formulating Climate Change
Mitigation and adaptation policies,
m.Establish a global campaign that would aim to propagate the severity
of climate change and its consequences, with the cooperation of
United Nations’ Department of Public Information,
m.Recommends national ambassadors to be appointed by member states
to promote climate change mitigation awareness;
Urges member nations to develop the infrastructure and the framework for
implementation of the suggestions published by Global e-Sustainability
Initiative (GeSI) and Deloitt in the report titled ”Digital With Purpose”
which follows a four fold digital approach for mitigating climate change,
which are:
p. Help connect and communicate
p. Monitor and track
p. Analyse and optimise
p. Augment and automate

Article 4: Economic Reforms and Suggestions

Proposes alternate methods and technologies for the current processes

like:
t. Gasification in place of Incineration as:
1.  Initial cost of infrastructure is lesser,
2. Three times more efficient than incineration,
3. No long-term waste quota
xx. Bio-based plastics in place of conventional plastics as:
1. They use biomass instead of fossil feedstock
2. They are biodegradable
Proposes the creation of a Zero Waste Action Plan (Z.W.A.P.) under the
ambit of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) 
Urges the member nations to work in cooperation towards creating an
insurance pool for small, uncertain events for reaction based problems due
to the actions of certain states affecting the climate change,
Urges member nations to consider Green GDP instead of overall GDP of a
nation, for the consideration towards trading of carbon units pricing and
tradings, so that the developing economies and least developed countries
are also able to trade more quantity of carbon units,
Requests member nations for rationalising carbon subsidies while actively
moving towards a goal to phase out of carbon subsidies and de-
incentivising the usage of conventional sources of energy;
Urges member nations to look forward to signing agreements with the
Green Climate Fund granting fund privileges and immunities in lieu with
those of international organisations and the United Nations system.