On Monday in Paris~, a United Nations committee will meet to discuss the next steps towards what they hope will be a historic deal to halt the world’s plastic pollution. However, there is currently little consensus about what the final product should be.
The first international, legally enforceable convention on plastic pollution, notably in the marine environment, is being drafted by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for Plastics. This is the second of five scheduled meetings to wrap up the talks by the end of 2024. Some countries pushed for global mandates, some for national solutions, and some for both during the first summit held six months ago in Uruguay.
The United Nations Environment Program reported in April that humanity creates more than 430 million tonnes of plastic yearly, with two-thirds of that amount being single-use items that end up as waste, polluting the ocean and, in many cases, making their way into the human food chain. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the amount of plastic trash created worldwide will nearly triple by 2060, with around half of that trash going to landfills and less than a fifth being recycled. Experts think it’s crucial choices are made about the objectives at this meeting due to the short deadline for treaty negotiations.
Limits on plastic production and restrictions on some of the chemicals used in plastics, for example, could help the treaty achieve the goals of the self-described “high ambition coalition” of nations, lead by Norway and Rwanda, with regards to protecting human health and the environment. The group intends to create a legally binding international tool to eliminate plastic pollution by 2040. According to the report, this action is essential for preventing harm to human health and the environment, reviving biodiversity, and slowing global warming.
Companies that produce, consume, and recycle plastic have spoken out in flavor of an agreement to reduce plastic waste while “retaining the societal benefits of plastics.” This includes the International Council of Chemical Associations, the World Plastics Council, the American Chemistry Council, and others. To better describe themselves, they’ve coined the phrase “global partners for plastics circularity.” They claim that modern plastic materials are employed all around the world to make items that are crucial to a lower-carbon, more sustainable future, and that these products often save people’s lives. Björn Beeler, representing the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), is present at the conference.
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