This week, thousands of negotiators and observers from a majority of the world’s nations are convening in the Canadian city of Ottawa to devise a treaty aimed at addressing the swiftly growing issue of plastic pollution.
Every day, the United Nations Environment Programme reports that the world's oceans, rivers, and lakes receive the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks filled with plastic. Consequently, people are increasingly exposed to inhaling, ingesting, and drinking minuscule plastic particles.
Negotiators face the crucial task of refining the current treaty draft and determining its scope. They must decide whether it will primarily address human health and environmental concerns, aim to reduce the production of plastic, impose restrictions on certain chemicals used in plastics, or incorporate a combination of these elements. These are key aspects advocated for by a coalition of countries self-identified as the "high ambition coalition.
Alternatively, there is a possibility for the agreement to adopt a narrower scope, concentrating on plastic waste management and enhancing recycling efforts. This approach is favored by certain countries involved in plastic production as well as oil and gas exporters.
In March 2022, 175 nations came to an agreement to establish the first-ever legally-binding treaty addressing plastic pollution, including its impact on oceans, by the conclusion of 2024. The timeline for negotiations is notably brief, reflecting the urgent nature of the issue at hand. The ongoing gathering in Ottawa marks the fourth of five meetings held by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for Plastics.
It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rectify something that everyone acknowledges needs addressing, as plastic in the environment is not a natural occurrence," remarked Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
"People around the world are appalled by what they witness. The image of a straw lodged in a turtle's nose, or a whale entangled in fishing gear—it's simply not the world we aspire to inhabit," she expressed in an interview.
Andersen dismissed the notion that the treaty aims to be "anti-plastic," emphasizing that plastic serves numerous beneficial purposes globally. However, she asserted that the treaty should target the eradication of unnecessary single-use and short-lived plastic products, which are frequently disposed of through burial, incineration, or dumping.
Plastic production continues to escalate worldwide and is forecasted to double or even triple by 2050 if current trends persist without intervention.
Researchers at the federal Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory recently published a report examining the climate impact.
The researchers concluded that if plastic production experiences conservative growth, greenhouse gas emissions generated from the process would more than double. This could consume 21% to 26% of the remaining global carbon budget, which represents the amount of carbon emissions that can still be emitted between now and 2050 while adhering to or below the international objective of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since the 1850s.
The majority of plastic is derived from fossil fuels. At the United Nations climate talks, known as COP28, negotiators concurred last December that the world must transition away from fossil fuels, which contribute to global warming, and substantially increase the utilization of renewable energy sources.
As the pressure to diminish reliance on fossil fuels has intensified, oil and gas companies have increasingly turned their attention to the plastics sector of their operations as a potential lifeline—a market poised for expansion.
Plastic production continues to escalate globally and is forecasted to double or even triple by 2050 if current trends persist without intervention.
Researchers at the federal Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory recently published a report examining the climate impact.
The researchers concluded that if plastic production experiences conservative growth, greenhouse gas emissions emitted from the process would more than double. This could utilize 21% to 26% of the remaining global carbon budget, which represents the amount of carbon emissions that can still be emitted between now and 2050 while adhering to or staying below the international goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since the 1850s.
The majority of plastic is derived from fossil fuels. At the United Nations climate talks, known as COP28, negotiators concurred last December that the world must transition away from fossil fuels, which contribute to global warming, and substantially increase the utilization of renewable energy sources.
As the pressure to diminish reliance on fossil fuels has intensified, oil and gas companies have increasingly turned their attention to the plastics sector of their operations as a potential lifeline—a market poised for expansion.