The Antigua and Barbuda Mission to the United Nations warmly congratulates Dr. Linroy Christian on his election as Vice-Chair of the just concluded fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.3) to advance a plastics treaty.
The INC is tasked with developing a global, legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. The plastic pollution crisis disproportionately impacts Small Island Developing States like Antigua and Barbuda.
It poses a serious threat to ocean health, biodiversity, livelihoods, and the resilience of our vulnerable communities and now more than ever demands decisive and collective action.
We commend Dr. Christian for his leadership and advocacy on this grave issue and we wish him, Chair Ambassador Julio Cordano, and the entire negotiating team every success as they guide the process toward a meaningful and ambitious outcome.
Also in attendance at the meeting was First Secretary at the Antigua and Barbuda Mission Asha Challenger. The meeting was a handing over of the torch for the Antiguan diplomat who was elected Vice President back in 2023. Challenger remains a part of the team , but will no longer serve as the bureau representative, having stepped down from both the bureau and her rapporteur roles.
With both officials demonstrating their commitment to resolving the crisis, Antigua and Barbuda remains fully engaged in supporting global efforts to protect our oceans and safeguard future generations.
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Congratulations Dr Christian. We have a WhatsApp group called Plastic? No Thanks!, and we are hard at work making a proposal to Sir Molwyn Joseph about banning single-use polyethylene plastic drinking water bottles under 2 gallons in size. I bet you have raising education and awareness on your list of approaches to accomplishing your new mission. We have been studying this very important issue and would like to discuss it with you. Please WhatsApp (268) 778-3017
You’re going to achieve this mission Dr Christian! You have many of us to support you. ABOT, ABEF, Ecoshores, Eli Fuller and entourage, Adopt a Coastline, NPA, Antigua National Sailing Academy, AB Sea Turtle Awareness, AEG, Plastic? No Thanks!, WISH and more. We are all NGOs, all concerned and from One World. Ecotourists are picking up plastics on beaches because our plastic is their plastic.
Climate Change has entered our culture in Dancehall and rap lyrics, we are inundated with Reels’ mini reality shows, suffering us through anogenitalia gap shortening due to endocrine disrupting truths from polyethylene phthalates leaking nanoplastics into our water bottles left in our over heated cars. We are certainly hearing about it. Many of us have switched off for listening to it to stave off futility. We are so ready to have a ban signed.
The holdback is COORDINATING bottling plants with the legislation. We have seen at the recycling stations that it’s mostly water bottles. The restaurants and hotels need a reusable glass bottle to sell for the tourists dinner table. So when you/ we/ all of us are ready to sign a legislative ban if we say that it is effective immediately so that the clock is ticking, but penalties ONLY apply AFTER the bottling industry has managed to settle COMFORTABLY into the new reusable glass bottle or “hard” plastic, #1 and #2, BPA- free hard plastic, like the 5 gallon commercial ones, already on delivery and return schedules by Island Coolers and Oasis. The 5 gallon bottles that are already in circulation stay. The only thing better and cheaper is catching sweet rain in the black tank and carry it where we go in our own bottle of choice. No penalty for reusing an old Oasis 1 liter polyethylene bottle that might still be hanging around. Most of us do that already. Many of us grew up that way.
Coke a Cola and Pepsi can pay “Extended Manufacturers Recycling Back Pay fees” at five times the cost of the retail value with that tax going to Solid Waste. Show no mercy to those foreign sodas. Send them a monthly bill. When they don’t pay we take them to Court here in Antigua where they don’t stand a chance. Chubbies and other locally bottled soda can let run till their bottling plant expires. And they can make their switch at that point.
We are more prepared than Europe or America on our water-scarce twin island nation because we all collect rain. We know how to do it.
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