Legal professionals, students and environmental activists gathered at the Office of the Attorney General to address the growing concern of plastic pollution and explore strategies to curb its use.
The program was jointly organized by Environment Law Society, Nepal, and Climate Cardinals, Tribhuwan University Chapter.
This year's Environment Day slogan was ‘Beat the Plastic Pollution’. Every year, more than 430 million tons of plastic are produced.
By 2040, this number is expected to double, with 19%-23% of plastic ending up in lakes and rivers annually, causing long-term impact on human health and the environment.
Advocate Narayan Prasad Acharya, Chairperson of the Environment Law Society, Nepal, special guest Prof. Dr senior advocate Tara Prasad Sapkota, Attorney General and Chief Guest senior advocate Ramesh Badal; Prof. Dr Bijay Prasad Mishra, senior advocate and President of Nepal Bar Association Shyam Kumar Basnet, former acting Vice Chairperson Bagmati Province Planning Commission were the key speakers of the event.
Other distinguished guests also intensified various dimensions of the plastic pollution crisis and expressed concern over the environmental threats posed by plastics.
During the program, advocate Sulochana Dhital featured a presentation titled “Discussion series on Plastics Impacts on Environment”. Dhital further discussed the effect of plastic pollution, with its long-term impact. She also referred to the constitutional provision regarding the environment, in Article 30 (1) and 30(2), which guarantees citizens' right to a clean and healthy environment and outlines how to seek compensation to those who have suffered from environmental degradation.
She stressed the urgent need for a specific law targeting plastic use and shared that there must be coordination among the three tiers of government to tackle environmental issues.
Following the presentation, a question-and-answer session was conducted, allowing attendees to engage in the challenges around plastic pollution.
Sarita Rai, Head of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), Environment Management Department, also shared the initiative of KMC to reduce plastic usage and promote sustainable waste management.
Prof. Dr senior advocate Tara Prasad Sapkota also highlighted that pollution causes 8.1 million deaths annually with 4.3 million caused by indoor pollution, and 3.7 million from outdoor pollution.
Attorney General Ramesh Badal also underscored the importance of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), referring to the protection of life, nature, and the world.
Prof. Dr Bijay Prasad Mishra, President of Nepal Bar Association, stated that plastic pollution also negatively affects mental health, contributing to stress.
Similarly, Dinmani Pokharel, Former Attorney General and a commentator at the event, emphasized identifying the current gap in environmental policy and addressing it through a collaborative approach.
The event wrapped up with the immediate need to tackle plastic pollution, and promoting awareness is vital to protect Nepal’s environment.
