The resumed fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2) took place in Nairobi between 28 February and 2 March 2022. The negotiations led to an agreement to address the full lifecycle of plastic from source to sea, resulting in the adoption of a historic resolution to end plastic pollution and negotiate an international legally binding agreement by 2024. In the last decades, the production of plastic has risen exponentially and now reaches about 400 million tons per year and this is set to double by 2040.

Alexandra M Goossens-Ishii of SGI attended the UNEA session virtually. SGI endorsed the Faith for Earth statement, which was delivered for the first time at a UNEA closing session. Part of the statement reads as follows: “As members from unique communities of faith, religious traditions, and spiritual pathways – we affirm with scientists around the world the underlying causes of climate change, pollution, assaults on biodiversity, and ecosystem degradation, that are all tangled in a spiritual crisis of values, ethics and moral responsibility evident human overconsumption.”

Faith voices gathered for a series of dialogues, "Faith for Earth Dialogue: Changing the Future," organized by Faith for Earth that took place as part of UNEA-5.2. Lucy Plummer of SGI-UK and Religions for Peace UK-Interfaith Youth Network engaged in one of its sessions, dedicated to the Faith for Earth Youth Council. All of the Faith for Earth Dialogue sessions have been recorded and are accessible.