Students across the world are being urged to volunteer to clean-up their local rivers and canals in a collective action that would send a powerful message to world leaders during COP 29.

Last year, UNAI member institution and SDG Hub 16 De Montfort University, Leicester (DMU) launched their version of the global climate talks by removing 65 black bags＊ worth of plastic waster from a Leicester waterway 每 demonstrating a need for greater action on the environment.

This year DMU is to deliver the same project again, and is encouraging other universities around the world to do the same.

Dr Mark Charlton, the Associate Director of DMU＊s SDG 16 Impact Hub, said: 

※The river clean-up was a big success, but we are mindful that this was in just one city in one country across the world. We appeal to all our partners and friends in universities and other organisations across the world to join us by organising similar events in their cities and countries. Joint action on a large scale would send a powerful message to world leaders at COP 29 and, just as importantly, stop many thousands of pieces of plastics reaching our oceans.§

In the United Kingdom alone, it is estimated that 575,000 items of plastic get into local rivers and canals every year. More than 80 per cent of the plastic polluting seas, oceans, and beaches, and killing wildlife comes from being discarded on land.

In global terms, it is estimated that 12 million metric tonnes of plastic enters our oceans every year, and that the cumulative total is now more than 171 trillion pieces in the seas around the world.

This will be the second year that DMU has organised a river clean-up to coincide with COP climate talks. DMU has joined together with its local authority, Leicester City Council, and the waterways charity, the Canal and River Trust, for this year＊s clean-up on Wednesday, 13 November, as world leaders gather to discuss climate action at COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Universities around the world are being encouraged to also take action on the same day, and take photos of their clean-up and impacts, which will be collated by DMU and sent to the UN and other global leaders to evidence the need for action on the environment.

The DMU SDG Hub team is happy to give advice on how to set up the project. Any organisation wanting to get involved in the river-clean-up is asked to email: dmusdg16@dmu.ac.uk

 

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