ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 23rd Mar, 2021) Abu Dhabi joined the "Tide Turners Plastic Challenge" during a virtual ceremony on Monday, hosted by The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on World Water Day.
The challenge aims to educate students about single-use plastics and invites them to take part in tackling this issue to become future champions of change.
The challenge is open to students aged 11–18, in addition to members of environmental clubs in 20 public and private schools in Abu Dhabi. Young people can register as individuals to participate in the challenge. The number of participants must not exceed 50 students from each school.
EAD is aiming to target 1,000 students from the Sustainable Schools network during the pilot phase.
The Tide Turner Plastic Challenge contributes to addressing a major issue that affects ecosystems globally. Single-use plastics account for 40 percent of the plastic produced in the world, and every year about 8 million tonnes of plastic waste escapes into the oceans from coastal nations.
The challenge is designed to inspire the young generation to think about its plastic consumption and understand how plastic pollution is threatening life in oceans, other water bodies and on land.
The challenge has three levels – entry, leader and champion – with a point-scoring system: scoring enough points in each level allows the participant to move to the next level of the challenge. At each level, the participant will be introduced to basic information that will help them learn more about the specific issues related to single-use plastics, waste and pollution.
Since its inception in February 2019, the programme has been rolled out in 28 countries and has engaged more than 352,000 young people.
Khansa Al Blouki, Director of Environmental Outreach at EAD, said, "The Tide Turner Plastic Challenge contributes to addressing a major issue that affects the ecosystem globally, and for us this challenge is part of preparations for plans set by EAD to declare Abu Dhabi Emirate single-use-plastic-free by mid-2022."
Al Blouki noted, "Furthermore, EAD and UNEP are simultaneously working towards tackling issues related to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, as they are directly aligned with the framework of this programme."
Sam Barratt, Chief of UNEP’s Youth, education and Advocacy Unit, said, "We have witnessed over the years that working with youth movements, NGOs, schools and universities is a great opportunity for us to reach millions of youth.
"We support all the largest youth movements and organisations that work towards shifting the mindsets, awareness and behaviour of young people regarding the environmental agenda. We want to create a systemic change in youth organisations to enable them to consider the environment as a major priority in their lives."
Participants in the Pilot Phase for Abu Dhabi must upload their entries via a link specified by EAD, between 5th March and 8th June 2021.
The Names of the winners will be announced by 16th June on World Sea Turtle Day. Winners of the first and second levels will receive a certificate from UNEP, while the winner of the third level will receive the Challenge Badge.
