I have just returned from India where we have concluded one of the most outstanding World Environment Day celebrations ever held. It was a pleasure to be with India’s Prime Minister Modi when he signed on to the Clean Seas Campaign. The Government also announced that it will phase out single-use plastic by 2022. This was truly a landmark moment for UN Environment and for the world. For a country with a population of 1.3 billion people to make such an incredible commitment marks a decisive step forward in the planet’s battle against single-use plastic.
India was not alone, across the world we saw unparalleled mobilization on World Environment Day.
I spent the last seven days traveling across India and saw some great initiatives first-hand some great initiatives underway. From massive beach clean-ups in Mumbai, to river-clean ups on the banks of the iconic Taj Mahal, thousands of people joined in our call to #BeatPlasticPollution. India announced that the surroundings of 100 historic monuments will be cleaned-up and I am so excited by our agreement with the Board of Control for Cricket to work closely with them to ‘green’ the sport.
In Mumbai, an ambitious electric vehicle policy aims to transform the way more than 100 million people commute in the state. I look forward to following developments in Andhra Pradesh, where UN Environment will be closely engaged in one of the most transformative farming initiatives of our time, helping farmers move to nature-based farming, ensuring a healthier and more sustainable life for millions of people.
This has been a truly global World Environment Day. Around the world, thousands of events took place and exciting initiatives were announced. The response of people, businesses and governments to our call for action has been outstanding. With over 500,000 tweets posted, World Environment Day and the #BeatPlasticPollution campaign were the #1 global topic trending for 14 hours! The World Environment Day website had almost 600,000 views. We are getting closer and closer to our aim of making the environment a kitchen-table conversation!
Mumbai: Banning plastic and making a push for e-vehicles
I was pleased to see the culmination of our fight against single-use plastic. I met with over 20 CEOs to discuss what regulatory support industries need to phase out single-use plastic.
I was also thrilled to take part in the event to launch of a new electric bus fleets as part of Mumbai’s efforts in shifting to a cleaner public transport system. This is in-line with UN Environment’s programme of work on transport and I hope we continue to work with the State of Maharashtra on this issue.
Hyderabad: Technology companies excel in sustainability
We were invited by India's newest state, Telangana, to visit the capital high-tech hub of Hyderabad. As guests of Infosys, the software outsourcing company that is also one of India's high-tech success stories. Infosys also happen to be leading globally on private sector sustainability, and I was treated to a tour of the campus -- home to 20,000 employees -- that features a solar farm, energy-efficient cooling systems in experimental green buildings, a food waste to biogas plant, and an even more ambitious sustainability plan for the future. In an event joined by IT Minister K. T. Rama Rao and and Mr. Pravin Rao, Infosys Chief Operating Officer, Infosys pledged to make its campuses non-recyclable plastics-free by 2020, setting the bar for more private sector commitments and engagements. Thousands of Infosys staff also joined an incredible event on the campus.
The Agra Declaration to beat plastic pollution
Together with Union Minister for Culture and Environment Mahesh Sharma, I visited the city of Agra for the announcement of the Agra Declaration: a pledge to make a 500-meter radius around the Taj Mahal free from single-use plastic. This Declaration is especially significant as the city commits to work with the local tourism and hospitality industry to phase out plastic litter. This is a great example to showcase in our work on plastic pollution.
