Why Plastic Pollution Is Climate Justice Imperative
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Plastic pollution is not a waste management problem. Nearly all plastics are derived from fossil fuels, which makes the plastics economy inseparable from the climate crisis. Across Africa, plastic waste clogs drainage, intensifies flooding, contaminates farmland, and threatens fisheries and public health, while its production and disposal add directly to greenhouse gas emissions. The Global Plastics Treaty, now negotiated under the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, must move beyond downstream waste fixes to confront production, financing and equity across the full plastics lifecycle. Faith communities, among the most trusted institutions on the continent, are positioned to anchor treaty accountability and public ownership, provided they are treated as negotiating partners rather than excluded observers.
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