World Environment Day 2025 was observed on Thursday, June 5. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), this year’s campaign focused on tackling plastic pollution, urging countries, organisations, and individuals to act together to protect the planet.
While plastics have benefits, including energy savings and resource conservation, the rising plastic pollution poses a significant threat to our planet and health.
Around the globe, plastic pollution is contaminating water supplies, food sources, and the air we breathe. As plastics break down, they enter the food chain. Microplastics have been detected in human arteries, lungs, brains, and breast milk.
Global plastic consumption is projected to reach 516 million tonnes this year, and if current consumption patterns continue, it will rise to over 1.2 billion tonnes annually by 2060.
Environmental factors contribute to the deaths of about 13 million people worldwide each year. Almost half of these fatalities are attributed to air pollution. The health and economic costs of unhealthy air pollution currently amount to $2.9 trillion.
On World Environment Day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) urges communities to advocate for lasting solutions to combat plastic pollution. Historically, recycling has been a key strategy for mitigating plastic waste. However, only 9% of plastics produced globally are recycled, and it is estimated that just 21% of plastic today is economically recyclable, meaning the value of recycled materials covers the costs of collection, sorting, and processing.
The benefits of addressing plastic pollution include cleaner oceans and landscapes, healthier individuals and ecosystems, improved climate resilience, and stronger economies. Transitioning to a circular economy for plastics is essential for a sustainable future. We must rethink how we design, produce, and utilize plastics. Products should be designed with multiple uses in mind and recycling.
This transformation, stated the WHO, requires the engagement of stakeholders across the plastics value chain. A just transition is necessary to protect the livelihoods of waste pickers and affected communities, leaving no one behind.
Solutions exist. In 2022, at the UN Environment Assembly, Member States agreed to initiate negotiations on a legally binding international instrument to address plastic pollution, including its impact on marine environments. Since then, countries have convened 5 sessions of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution to work towards a comprehensive agreement.
“On World Environment Day, we must seize the opportunity to unite our efforts in combating plastic pollution and preserve our planet for future generations,” stated the WHO.
In what appears to be a powerful convergence of music, activism, and leadership, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, and the British trip hop collective Massive Attack joined forces to endorse the Fossil Fuel Treaty on Thursday, June 5, in Manchester, on World Environmental Day.
They signed a declaration and opened a Treaty banner on the solarised rooftop of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority headquarters just before a sold-out concert. Climate activist and writer, Tori Tsui, was also invited on stage representing the Treaty Initiative to amplify the call. The event, which drew 15,000 fans to Co Op Live, the UK’s largest entertainment arena, became a rallying cry for climate justice, human rights, and global solidarity.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Throughout its history, Greater Manchester has always been one of the first to face up to the challenges of the future. This is no different when it comes to the green economy. Our Five-Year Environment Plans and carbon neutral city-region ambitions are putting us in the strongest position to tackle this monumental issue.
“We won’t be listening to the siren voices trying to lock us into a dependence on fossil fuels without a thought for the future generations who will have to deal with the devastating consequences of the climate emergency. It’s great to have Massive Attack joining us in Greater Manchester. We applaud the clarity and leadership they have provided on these issues for many years, and we are pleased to endorse the call for a Non-Proliferation Treaty with them here today.”
As the first designated Nuclear Free City in the 1980s, Manchester has always been an outward-looking city. It helped build momentum toward international treaties on nuclear weapons and is now doing the same on today’s biggest threat: fossil fuels. Mayor Burnham’s support follows an endorsement from Manchester City Council last December.
Known for their groundbreaking music and activism, Massive Attack used their platform to amplify the urgency of the climate crisis.
Robert Del Naja, known as “3D”, Founding Member of Massive Attack, delivered an unbending call to action to peer artists: “We’re proud to endorse the call for a Fossil Fuel Treaty, and love the universality of it; coming first from Pacific nations representing the most vulnerable frontline communities facing climate breakdown, and made open to everyone in civil society, in every country, to support – in our case as artists. We hope others will now consider supporting it too.
“It feels significant to us to endorse this proposal here in Manchester, with its rich history of landing blows for justice and progress, including being the world’s first Nuclear Free City; triggering international treaty momentum to ban the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Fossil fuels are a weapon of mass destruction too, and we need to combat them with the widest possible level of civil resistance.”
Climate activist and writer Tori Tsui, Senior Advisor of the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, invited on stage, echoed the call for global action: “The fossil fuel industry is a death machine, and we’re all caught in its gears. The time for waiting is over. The fossil fuel industry has had decades to change, and instead, they’ve doubled down on destruction while the rest of us pay the price. But we’re not here to beg for change – we’re here to demand it. The Fossil Fuel Treaty is our line in the sand. It’s a declaration that we will no longer tolerate a system that sacrifices people and the planet for profit.
“We’re calling on every government, every leader, every individual to join us. To every artist, musician, creator: your voice is a weapon. Your art is a rebellion. Use it to shake the world awake. Stand up for people, not polluters. Fight to protect what we love: our families, our communities, and this planet we call home. The future isn’t something we inherit – it’s something we build together.”
The event was part of Massive Attack’s “Act 1.5” concert series, aimed to significantly reduce carbon emissions through innovative, low-carbon touring practices. The series, developed in collaboration with climate researchers, achieved a remarkable 98% reduction in electricity emissions compared to standard outdoor events and significant cuts in transport and catering emissions. The concert was a celebration of art and activism, blending Massive Attack’s iconic sound with visuals and messages urging climate action. Fans were encouraged to visit fossilfueltreaty.org to learn more and get involved.
The initiative has garnered support from other artists. Among them is This is Our Home, a collective of Pacific musicians and storytellers dedicated to climate justice, who partnered with the iconic British rock band Coldplay to advocate for a fossil fuel treaty. Their collaboration culminated in a powerful joint performance at a major concert in Lyon last November.
Additionally, English musician, songwriter, and record producer Brian Eno, along with the music industry climate foundation EarthPercent – which he co-founded – also lend their voices to the cause. EarthPercent operates at the intersection of music, activism, and environmental advocacy, further strengthening the global push for this critical proposal.
In 2025, 16 countries are participating in discussions on a global, binding treaty to address fossil fuels. They’re joined by over 130 cities and subnational governments, including the State of California, and 17 national capitals such as Paris, London, and now the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, alongside a massive global coalition: over 1 million citizens, 4,000 civil society organisations, 3,000+ academics and scientists, hundreds of health professionals and institutions including the World Health Organisation, faith leaders including the World Council of Churches, 850+ elected officials, the European Parliament, 101 Nobel laureates, 25 banks, unions representing 35 million workers, businesses, youth advocates, and Indigenous peoples.
They are all coming together to demand a just, equitable and financed transition through the negotiation of a Fossil Fuel Treaty.