Climate activists say Egypt should reverse the decision because of the plastic pollution produced by the company.
Climate activists are “confused” by Egypt’s decision to sponsor Coca-Cola’s United Nations climate change conference this year.
They told the BBC the deal was hurting negotiations, as most plastic in the packaging is made from fossil fuels.
Coca-Cola, for its part, said it “shares the goal of eliminating waste and values awareness efforts.”
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Egypt will host this year’s edition of the UN climate conference COP27, which will take place in November in the city of Sharm el-Sheikh.
The country announced last week that it had signed the sponsorship agreement.
“Through the partnership with COP27, the Coca-Cola system aims to support collective action against climate change,” said Michael Goltzman, Coca-Cola Vice President of Global Public Policy and Sustainability.
But opposition to the decision has increased last week due to Coca-Cola’s association with plastic pollution.
Climate activists blame the company green wash (English term for fake green marketing) – and more than 5,000 people signed a petition calling for the decision to be reversed.
The company said it used three million tons of plastic packaging annually in 2019.
Found on every continent and in the oceans, plastic is a major source of pollution. And its production also contributes to global warming. Currently, 99% of global plastic is produced from fossil fuels in a process called “cracking” that produces greenhouse gas emissions and causes climate change.
An audit by Break Free From Plastic in 2021 named Coca-Cola the world’s number one plastic pollutant.
“This act of the COP27 presidency goes against the purpose of the conference,” said Mohammad Ahmadi of Earth Uprising International.
This sentiment was echoed by Steve Trent, CEO of the Environmental Justice Foundation, who asked Egypt to reverse the decision.
Neither Egypt’s COP27 presidency nor the UN climate change body, the UNFCCC, responded to a request from the BBC for comment on the sponsorship deal.
Last year, when the UK government hosted the climate talks, it banned fossil fuel companies from sponsoring the event.
“Coca-Cola’s entire business model is based on fossil fuels. They made unfulfilled promises to improve recycling,” Trent said.
Image: NURPHOTO/GETTY PICTURES
Coca-Cola told the BBC it understood it needed to do more. “While we have made progress against our Waste Free World goals, we are also committed to doing more, faster.”
Climate activists the BBC spoke to were concerned not only by the signal sent by the sponsorship, but also how it would affect the negotiations.
Nyombi Morris, a Ugandan climate activist and UN Coordinating Office Ambassador, said: “When pollutants dominate the climate negotiations, we don’t get good results. As an African activist, I’m concerned that more of our lakes will be filled with plastic again.” Humanitarian Affairs Division.
Last year, the BBC revealed the impact of Coca-Cola’s plastic pollution on remote communities around the world.
Coca-Cola told the BBC it remains committed to “collecting and recycling one bottle or can for every bottle we sell by 2030”.
– This text was published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-63144302.
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source: Noticias
