Eco Friday>>>COP27: Activists 'startled' that Coca-Cola will be sponsor

Picture Credit: Campaign Asia Website

Climate activists are "astonished" by Egypt's choice to have Coca-Cola, a major manufacturer of plastic, sponsor this year's international climate talks. The Egyptian government will host this year's COP27 UN climate meetings in Sharm el-Sheikh in November.

In light of the fact that the bulk of plastics are made using fossil fuels, environmentalists reported BBC, that the deal makes the negotiations less effective.

Coca-Cola stated that it welcomes initiatives to increase awareness and shares the goal of eliminating waste. According to Michael Goltzman, global vice president of Coca-Cola for public policy and sustainability, the Coca-Cola system seeks to encourage group action against climate change through the COP27 collaboration.

But due to Coca- Cola's connections to plastic waste, criticism to the decision has risen over the past week. The corporation is being accused of "greenwashing" by environmentalists, and more than 5,000 people have signed a petition demanding that the decision to be overturned.

In 2019, the business acknowledged that it utilizes three million tons of plastic packaging annually. Plastic, which may be found in the oceans and on every continent, is a significant pollutant.

Currently, 99% of the world's plastic is made from fossil fuels in a process known as "cracking," which emits greenhouse gases and contributes to climate change. Coca-Cola was ranked as the world's top plastic polluter in a 2021 audit by Break Free From Plastic.

According to Earth Uprising International's Mohammad Ahmadi, the COP27 presidency's move, "goes against the aim of the conference." Steve Trent, the CEO of the Environmental Justice Foundation, urged Egypt to change its mind in this regard.

The BBC requested comments on the sponsorship agreement, but neither the UNFCCC nor Egypt's COP27 leadership provided any comments.

The UK government forbade fossil fuel firms from sponsoring the climate talks when they were held there last year. Trent stated: "The entire business strategy of Coca-Cola is based on fossil fuels. They have made unfulfilled pledges to boost recycling."

Coca-Cola informed the BBC that while it has made progress toward its ‘World Without Waste’ targets, it recognizes that more has to be performed. Speaking with climate campaigners, BBC learned that they were worried not only about the message the sponsorship communicated, but also about how it would impact the negotiations.

Picture Credit: BBC Website

October 8th 2022| 06:00 PM