Sherry Rehman bans use of plastic bottles in her office

Newswire

Islamabad: On Earth Day which was celebrated around the world on April 22, 2022, Federsl

Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman banned the use of plastic bottles in her office.

“The theme for Earth Day 2022 is ‘Invest in Our Planet.’ This is an investment that does not have to be a large economic envelope, but an investment we make in awareness and behavioral change to save our future,” Ms Rehman said.

She highlighted the fact that Pakistan generated 3.9 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2020 out of which only 30 percent was recycled. Most of this waste ends up in oceans and harms marine life.

In fact, this year’s Earth Day Google Doodle is quite the eye-opener. The doodle uses real time-lapse imagery from Google Earth Timelapse and other sources, to document the impact of climate change across four different locations (Mt Kilimanjaro, Greenland, the Great Barrier Reef and Harz Forest in Germany) to show coral bleaching, glacier retreat and deforestation due to global warming

Ms Rehman said that to “demonstrate personal commitment” she has directed the ministry to no longer use single-use plastic bottles.

“Furthermore, we will be presenting the perils of continuing the use of non-biodegradable plastic to the cabinet, and advising all of the government to put their weight behind ending this degradation of our water and soil,” she added.

Pakistan is among countries most vulnerable to climate change and as the minister rightly pointed out simple steps taken by one individual such as limiting water usage and using biodegradable alternatives to plastics can make a difference.