Number one in the world… and I'm ashamed

HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPEVINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL

Let’s be honest, it’s not often we Filipinos can legitimately say we’re numero uno in the world in some category. Back in the early years of this century, I would hear reports about how we were number one in “speed texting” and text messaging; and you’re probably aware that if not outright number one, we’re in the top percentile globally, when it comes to hours spent on social media by a country’s population. Nothing to especially be proud about, but nothing for which we should bow our heads in shame – although I would like to see how it relates to a nation’s productivity. So when I saw a survey proclaim the Philippines as number one in the world, I hung my head in shame with the realization that it was for Highest Ocean Plastic Waste Polluters. To my chagrin, I looked at the pictorial representation, and discovered we were even beating the competition by miles, and it would probably be pointless to even question the methodology by which these figures were arrived at.
*The chart showing the Highest Plastic Waste Polluters, from 2021. (From science.org)*

For 2021, with over 1,000 rivers surveyed, as these rivers account for 80 percent of global riverine plastic emissions into the ocean, the Philippines could claim dubious credit for an annual estimation of contributing 356,371 metric tons of plastic waste. The closest single country after us would be India, with 126,513 metric tons, and that’s 50 percent less than our polluting capabilities. After the Philippines and India, you’d have to direct your attention to Malaysia and their 73,098 metric tons. To put it into perspective, after the top 10 country polluters, the rest of the world combined, come in at 176,012 metric tons – a far cry from our record waste emission.
Now I know this is a 2021 chart, and we recently enacted the Extended Producer Responsibility Act of 2022, Republic Act No. 11898; but let’s also be open enough to admit that if we’re talking about concerted public and private sector efforts to curb this alarming statistic, not enough is being done to downgrade these plastic waste emissions. The RA is directed towards producers of products generating plastic packaging waste, that they develop EPR programs. We can conduct beach clean-ups every so often; but any cursory glance at the mouths of our rivers and the state of our riverbanks as we head inland, will show that so much still needs to be done.
So what bugs me is how we can talk glibly about sustainability, about global warming and climate change, about neutral carbon emissions, about environment conservation, protection, preservation, and regeneration – and yet so many of us are blithely ignoring how we lead the whole world in plastic waste emissions. It’s such a black eye to be living under, and the time for doing something about this is yesterday!
And if we try to take a look back at how this situation came about; I know some blame will have to be placed on our sachet culture; and how in the drive to sell consumer products in a nation where disposable income is on trickle effect for the vast majority of the population, big corporations opted to instill this sachet culture, and took plastic packaging to a new level of consumption here. *One of the creative ways in which Surfrider Foundation champions their advocacy for cleaner oceans. (From the Surfrider Foundation social media assets)*

Our deficient system of waste disposal and sanitation, the meager promulgation of garbage segregation; these are all contributory to the sad state of affairs we find ourselves in. In essence, there is a deep-rooted systemic failure; and I’m left wondering what we can do. For unless it trickles down to our rural seaside communities, plus all the towns and villages inland that, on a daily basis, use the rivers and streams as their natural waste disposal receptacle, nothing much will change.
Organizations such as Surfrider Foundation work tirelessly all over the world’s coastal areas to raise awareness of this problem. They seek to make it a major concern of everyone. For the Foundation, it’s not enough to say “I don’t eat fish, or make use of plastic products.” None of us can think this issue isn’t our concern. We all have to actively be part of the solution – and in our nation’s case, that’s so crucial.
The Deluge by Stephen Markley is a recently published novel that depicts an apocalypse in slow motion. There is no single epochal event; but minute, incremental chaos, political indifference, and with scientific papers, podcast transcripts, and White House briefings as facts. Scary novel to ruminate on, and it may be oh-so-true.
We can be proud about being the country with the best beach destinations, but there’s some irony in realizing that’s coupled with being the world’s most notorious Ocean Plastic Waste Polluter.