OTTAWA – Today at 10:23 AM, one activist from Greenpeace Canada was arrested outside of the Shaw Center in Ottawa while engaged in a peaceful protest. The protester, arrested for mischief, did not resist the police. The activist was part of a larger group who delivered a “Global Plastics Factory” to the doorstep of the Shaw Center, where the fourth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) is gathered to negotiate a Global Plastics Treaty. The “Global Plastics Factory” was a creative yet striking reminder of the urgent need for delegates to address the harm caused by plastic across its life cycle.
“How much more will people and the planet have to suffer from the harm done by plastics before governments from around the world take strong action? While communities bear the burden of the impacts of fossil fuel extraction, biodiversity destruction, air and water pollution caused by the lifecycle of plastics, Big Oil and Big Plastics are still making billions at the expense of our climate and our health. The Global South, Indigenous communities and other frontline communities are disproportionately affected by climate change and the impacts of plastics, mostly driven by the greedy decisions made by a handful of governments and companies. I was standing in front of the Shaw Center today to call out climate injustice and tell delegates at INC-4 that there is no more time to waste: we need a Strong Global Plastics Treaty now. It’s time governments put people and the planet before plastic”, said Laura Yates, the arrested activist.
ENDS
Notes to editor:
For more information about Greenpeace Canada action today, please consult the press release sent earlier: Greenpeace ramps up pressure on UN delegates to cut plastic production, by delivering a “Global Plastics Factory”
Photos and B-roll videos from the activity can be found on Greenpeace media library.
For more information, please contact:
Laura Bergamo, Head of Media, Greenpeace Canada
[email protected] ; +1 438 928-5237