A flag featuring an eye, created by Greenpeace, is raised near BEXCO as the fifth session of the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution opens on Monday. (Greenpeace)
A massive flag depicting a human eye was unveiled near the venue of an international negotiation forum on plastics, which opened in Busan on Monday.
Created and hoisted by the international non-profit organization Greenpeace, the “#WeAreWatching” flag aims to deliver a powerful message: global citizens are closely observing the discussions on solutions to end plastic pollution, the group said.
Designed in collaboration with Swiss artist Dan Acher, it incorporates portraits of 6,472 individuals from around the world. The eye itself measures 30 meters in width and 24 meters in height.
The flag was hoisted to a height equivalent to a 10-story building, overlooking BEXCO, where the fifth session of the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution is currently being held. About 4,000 participants, including government representatives from around 170 countries, environmental groups and industry lobbyists, have gathered for the talks due to last until Dec. 1.
Greenpeace activists watch as the “#WeAreWatching” flag is hoisted near BEXCO in Busan, South Korea, where the fifth session of the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution kicked off Monday. Yonhap
“The Global Plastics Treaty represents what may be our only chance to free ourselves from plastic pollution,” said Nara Kim, Greenpeace plastics campaigner. “To escape the crisis caused by plastics, which not only pollute our oceans and soil but also threaten ecosystems, the climate and our health, the treaty must include legally binding and specific production reduction targets.”
