Delegates from around the world convened this week for critical negotiations on the world’s first legally binding treaty to combat the escalating plastic pollution crisis.
With plastic production expected to triple by 2060, the talks aim to address the full life cycle of plastics, from production to disposal, amid growing global alarm over environmental and health risks.
The negotiations, set to conclude on December 1, follow a historic agreement by 175 nations in 2022 to create a treaty addressing plastic pollution. However, progress has stalled, with sharp divisions between plastic-producing nations and others. Key issues include whether to impose production limits on the $712 billion plastics industry.
The “high ambition coalition,” led by Norway and Rwanda and representing over 60 countries, is pushing for production cuts, recycling mandates, and bans on toxic chemicals in plastics.
Norway’s Minister for International Development, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, warned that without production curbs, the world would be “unable to cope” with plastic waste within a decade.
“We are not going to land a perfect treaty, but we need progress,” said Tvinnereim. “The world desperately needs leadership.”
Countries with large fossil fuel industries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Iran, oppose production cuts, advocating for waste management instead.
The United States, one of the largest plastic producers, has signaled tentative support for production curbs but faces uncertainty with the potential return of Donald Trump, a fossil fuel advocate, as president.
The stakes are high: scientists estimate that only 9% of plastic waste is recycled, with the rest polluting oceans, landfills, and ecosystems. Microplastics have been found in human blood, placenta, and arteries, raising significant health concerns. Plastic production also contributes to climate change, with its emissions ranking among the world’s top five greenhouse gas contributors.
Despite obstacles, experts remain hopeful. Consumer giants like Mars and Unilever support a strong treaty addressing the full life cycle of plastics. A study in ‘Science’ suggests that capping new plastic production at 2020 levels and requiring 40% recycled content in new products could reduce plastic waste by 90% and cut emissions by one-third.
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