Leading international actresses, actors, athletes and activists are addressing the following open letter to world leaders just a few weeks before the final round of negotiations for an ambitious Global Plastics Treaty to be held in November 2024 in Busan, Korea.
To our world leaders,
We are deeply concerned about the global plastic pollution crisis and how it affects all of us—our health, planet, climate, and future. We are all aware of the destruction, pollution, and social injustices it has on our communities and the climate.
In 2022, you decided that we need to end this crisis by creating a Global Plastics Treaty. As we approach the finish line of its negotiations in Busan, South Korea this November, we need you to be a champion of the people and our planet.
As concerned citizens, we support efforts at big events to reduce single-use plastics, clean up our beaches, and separate our plastic waste at home. However, none of this is enough—it hasn’t been enough for a long time. We live in a broken system dominated by throwaway plastic, and no solution or policy will be sufficient unless we reduce the amount of plastic produced and used.
Microplastics have been found in the food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink, and even in our organs and our blood. It is found in the highest mountain peaks and the deepest of oceans. We cannot hand over a world wrapped in plastic to the next generation.
This is really not a game – the future of our people and our planet rely on the courage of our world leaders to agree to end single-use plastics this November in Busan, South Korea.
You have the power to create a significant impact on our collective fate by ending the plastic pollution crisis. The Global Plastics Treaty is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver a safer, cleaner planet – and you can make this happen.
With hope and determination,
The undersigned
- Bette Midler – Award-winning actress and singer – USA
- Lupita Nyong’o – Oscar-winning actress – Kenya/Mexico
- Nemonte Nenquimo – Goldman Environmental Prize and TIME Earth Awards Winner -Ecuador
- Gael Garcia Bernal – Award-winning actor – Mexico
- William Shatner – Award-winning actor and author – Canada
- James Cromwell – Award-winning actor and activist – USA
- Sharon van Rouwendaal – Swimmer and double olympic champion – Netherlands
- Kirstin Bauer – actor and activist – USA
- Alice Braga – actress and activist – Brazil
- Fiona O’keeffe – Olympic 2024 long distance runner – USA
- Alan Cumming – award-winning Actor – UK
- Martin Helseth – Olympic 2024 rower – Norway
- Jessica Sobrino – Olympic synchronized swimmer – Mexico
- Maya Gabeira – Big wave surfer/world record holder / ocean activist – Brazil
- Laetitia Aoun – Olympic taekwondo athlete – Lebanon
- Anggun – International recording artist – France/ Indonesia
- Nadia Nadim – Danish National Football Team, Doctor and activist- Denmark
- Claire Rafferty- Olympian and England National Football Team – England
- Katie Chapman – England National Football Team – England
- Leilani Münter – race car driver and environmentalist – USA
- Samara Ortiz – Spanish Football Team – Spain
- Carly Telford – England National Football Team- England
- Carlo Cudicini -Chelsea Team Goalkeeper – Italy
- Psalm Wooching – Rugby player – France
- Melissa Tan – multifaceted climate action & sustainability creative – Malaysia
- Aurélie Moeremans – Actress and plastic free future advocate – Indonesia
- Amanda de Godoi – Actress and activist – Brazil
- Henrik Christiansen – Olympian swimmer – Norway
- Yanna Lavigne – Actress and mother – Brazil
- Maria Lynn Ehren – Environmentalist and former Miss Universe Thailand
- Antonio Valencia – Former football player – Ecuador
- Félicienne Minnaar – head coach girls U16- Netherlands
- Agil Etemadi – Head goalkeeper coach, Almere City FC – Iran
Ask world leaders to support a strong global plastic treaty that addresses the whole life cycle of plastic.
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