Former US vice president and environmentalist Al Gore on Friday said the price paid for a plastic bag or bottle does not reflect the true cost of what one is purchasing and citizens must put pressure on their governments to act.
At a session here during the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2020 Annual Meeting, Gore also said putting a price on carbon would cut down on plastics but it would need regulatory measures and new laws in each jurisdiction.
"What citizens and voters do in political systems is even more important," he said.
The world produces a huge amount of single-use plastic each year, along with a host of other single-use packaging items -- such as cups and containers -- most of which is neither collected nor recycled.
Given the magnitude of this global crisis, the WEF has been discussing throughout this week how can policy-makers and business leaders tackle the challenge of investing in both waste management and waste prevention.
Gore said, "The economic system is broken and the price paid for a plastic bag or bottle does not reflect the true cost of what you're purchasing."
He said destructive business models are taking advantage and governments need to step in. "That can only happen with sufficient pressure from citizens."