India, France to engage with like-minded nations to bolster talks for legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

France have stepped up their collaboration in combating climate change and in environmental protection, and announced that they will constructively engage other like-minded countries to strengthen the negotiations for an international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution. After talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron here on Friday, the two countries made a joint commitment to eliminate single-use plastic products pollution, including a ban on single-use plastic products which have low utility and high littering potential.

Addressing a joint press event with Macron, Modi said climate change and environmental protection have been the common and main priority for both India and France. «In this direction, we had already established the International Solar Alliance, which has now become a movement.

We now want to work fast on the roadmap for blue economy and ocean governance,» the prime minister said. «We will move forward on a joint initiative against single-use plastic.

I welcome the long-term agreement signed between Indian Oil and French company Total for the export of LNG. This will strengthen our goals of clean energy transition,» he said.

Noting that plastic product pollution due to littered and mismanaged plastic waste is a global environmental issue that must be urgently addressed, India and France said it has adverse impacts on ecosystems in general and marine ecosystems in particular. Single-use plastic products are defined by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) as «an umbrella term for different types of products that are typically used once before being thrown away or recycled», which include food packaging, bottles, straws, containers, cups, cutlery and