Cape town: The government has, for the first time, provided international training to officials to equip them with the skills needed to manage the complex global trade in hazardous waste and plastic pollution at sea. While the government has intensified efforts to curb plastic pollution through stronger waste regulations, Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Narend Singh, emphasized that legislation and policy frameworks alone were insufficient, and needed to be supported by skilled officials.
According to South African Government News Agency, Singh was addressing the opening session of the training programme in Cape Town, where he highlighted the need for Environmental Management Inspectors to possess both legal expertise and technical knowledge to effectively combat hazardous pollution at sea. The Custos Viridis operational report notes that environmental crime generates annual losses estimated between 80 and 230 billion Euros, highlighting growing links between waste trafficking, organized crime syndicates, and other transnational crime forms.
The Deputy Minister stressed the importance of seamless collaboration among regulators, scientists, investigators, and prosecutors in tackling environmental crime, which ranks as the world's fourth-largest organized criminal activity. He explained that the training programme was designed to strengthen these capabilities by providing technical sessions, practical exercises, and international perspectives, equipping participants with the necessary knowledge and networks for effective implementation and enforcement.
Singh described plastic pollution as a defining environmental crisis, affecting oceans, rivers, estuaries, coastlines, and terrestrial ecosystems. The issue poses threats to fisheries, biodiversity, tourism, coastal livelihoods, and ultimately, human health and food security. With its extensive coastline and vibrant ocean economy, South Africa is acutely aware of these risks.
The government has intensified efforts to curb plastic pollution through stronger waste regulation, Extended Producer Responsibility schemes, waste diversion and recycling programmes, and promoting circular economy principles. Singh mentioned broader ocean governance initiatives aimed at protecting marine ecosystems and advancing sustainable blue economy outcomes, supported by the Plastic Waste Amendments to prevent the dumping of problematic plastic wastes on developing countries.
The training aimed to address a critical gap in enforcing the Basel Convention and its Plastic Waste Amendments. For the first time, international experts and officials collaborated to strengthen cross-border controls on illegal waste trafficking and marine plastic pollution. The event brought together officials and experts involved in environmental regulation, customs coordination, compliance monitoring, and enforcement, focusing on implementing the Basel Convention Plastic Waste Amendments and addressing the growing global challenge of plastic pollution at sea.