Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has announced a new model for combating plastic pollution at the 2019 Global Citizen Festival in New York’s Central Park on Sept. 28.
Browne announced in front of tens of thousands of Global Citizens that the country will become the first island nation to adopt environmental nonprofit Parley for the Oceans' AIR system, which stands for avoid, intercept, and redesign.
The approach tackles plastic waste at its source, cleans up existing plastic pollution, and spurs new plastic alternative designs.
The prime minister said that his country faces a growing plastic pollution problem. Globally, up to 12 million tons of plastic enter the ocean each year, causing widespread harm to marine ecosystems.
“Antigua and Barbuda has experienced firsthand the devastating impact of plastic pollution on our coastal communities and marine life,” he said onstage. “Our coolest island paradise is dedicated to being a blueprint for change by revolutionizing our infrastructure, education, and the economy.”