The role of symbolism and heroism in the battle against plastic pollution The case of the world’s largest beach clean-up in Mumbai, India By Amalie Henriksen – 12286699 Master thesis Political Science: International Relations Global Environmental Politics and Governance in Theory and Practice Supervisor: Dr. Robin Pistorius Second reader: Dr. Jeroen Doomernik June 2019 – University of Amsterdam Source for cover photo: Afroz Shah, Twitter, 11.11.18 (https://tinyurl.com/y6l8plny) Acknowledgements I would like to thank those who contributed in any way to writing this thesis. Firstly, I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Robin Pistorius, for his valuable advice and guidance during the writing process. I would also like to thank the second reader, Dr. Jeroen Doomernik, for taking the time to assess this thesis. Furthermore, I would like to thank the interviewees, namely Tor Dahlstrøm, Erik Solheim, Hiten Bheda, Dean Gomes, Aaditya Thackeray and Afroz Shah who’s participation in this study has been greatly appreciated. Thank you for giving me your time and providing me with information that was crucial to the research in this thesis. 2 Table of contents Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................................... 2 List of abbreviations ......................................................................................................................................... 5 List of figures and pictures ............................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 1. Introduction to the topic ................................................................................................................. 7 1.1 Personal motivation .......................................................................................................................... 11 1.2 Research question ........................................................................................................................ 12 Chapter 2. Theoretical framework – Symbolism and heroism ........................................................................ 13 2.1 Symbolism in environmental action .................................................................................................. 14 2.2 Heroism in environmental action ...................................................................................................... 15 2.3 Model of theoretical framework ....................................................................................................... 19 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................... 22 Chapter 3. Methodology and research design ................................................................................................ 23 3.1 Interviews .......................................................................................................................................... 24 3.2 Participant observation ..................................................................................................................... 25 3.3 Document analysis ............................................................................................................................ 25 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................... 26 Chapter 4. The Indian context ........................................................................................................................ 27 4.1 Development, urbanization and waste-management issues ............................................................ 27 4.1.1 Slums and the lack of a functioning infrastructure .......................................................... 28 4.2 Plastic ban ......................................................................................................................................... 29 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................... 29 Chapter 5. Empirical findings on the effect of symbolism and heroism in the context of the Versova beach- project............................................................................................................................................................ 31 5.1 Symbolism in the Versova beach-project .......................................................................................... 31 5.2 Heroism in the Versova beach-project .............................................................................................. 33 5.3 A symbolic movement and a hero to inspire ..................................................................................... 37 5.4 Heroism and symbolism’s role in mobilization .................................................................................. 39 5.5 Symbolism, heroism and the project’s legitimacy ............................................................................. 44 5.6 Symbolism and heroism in the project’s maintenance ...................................................................... 45 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................... 48 Chapter 6. Symbolism and heroism’s effect on awareness and political and corporate action ....................... 49 6.1 Symbolism and heroism in the Versova beach-project’s effect on environmental awareness ......... 49 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 54 3 6.2 Symbolism and heroism’s effect on political and corporate action................................................... 54 6.2.1 The United Nations Environment Programme – highlighting the best examples ............ 56 6.2.2 The Nordics utilizing the project’s symbolic value for branding ....................................... 57 6.2.3 Adidas involved because of increased awareness about plastic pollution ....................... 58 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 60 Chapter 7. Discussion ..................................................................................................................................... 61 Chapter 8. Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 64 8.1 Recommendations for further research ............................................................................................ 66 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................... 67 Appendix ........................................................................................................................................................ 78 A. Presentation of the actors and interviewees .................................................................................................... 78 B. Interview guide.................................................................................................................................................. 81 4 List of abbreviations AIPMA The All India Plastics Manufacturers’ Association BMC Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation – the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai CSR Corporate Social Responsibility MNC Multinational Corporation NGO Non-Governmental Organization UNEP United Nations Environment Programme 5 List of figures and pictures Figure 1 – Share of plastic Waste that is inadequately managed 7 Figure 2 – Model of theoretical framework 19 Figure 3 – Future material consumption in India by category in scenario continuing current 27 dynamic Picture 1 – The teachings of the God Ganesha 40 Figure 2.1 – Model of theoretical framework: Symbolism and heroism affects environmental 53 awareness Figure 2.2 – Model of theoretical framework: Symbolism and heroism affects political and 55 corporate action 6 Chapter 1. Introduction to the topic It is estimated that 18 billion pounds of plastic waste enters the ocean every year (Howard et al. 2019). Plastic pollution has received increasing attention since sea animals have been found dead with their stomachs filled with man-made plastic products. In 2016, a report was released that stated that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050 (Wearden 2016). The severity of the issue has led to significant global concern, and a variety of actors are proposing different methods to combat the issue. Figure 1: Share of plastic Waste that is inadequately managed, 2010 Source: Jambeck et al. (2015) The largest share of total plastic waste that is inadequately managed and thus poses the greatest risk of polluting marine areas is centered in Asia and Africa (Jambeck et al. 2015). I will focus on environmental action taken against plastic pollution in South Asia and the coastal city of Mumbai, India’s largest city in terms of population and the country’s financial center. Here, environmental concerns have affected policy-making, and last year Mumbai’s home state of Maharashtra, India’s most populous state, introduced a plastic ban including all single-use plastics.