Combating plastic pollution
Negotiations on a global treaty to combat plastic pollution will resume on Monday. Countries are under pressure to stop waste streams. Activists are calling for restrictions on industry's influence on the negotiations.
Last year, around 175 countries pledged to reach a binding agreement by 2024 to end pollution mainly from fossil fuels plastics that suffocate the environment and infiltrate human and animal bodies.
The talks held in Paris from May 29th to June are aimed at reaching agreement on the first action plan, which could form the basis for the draft negotiating text.
The measures discussed include a worldwide ban on disposable plastic products and a "polluter pays" plan.
Last month, the wealthy group of seven countries, including the United States, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and the United States, promised
Activists continue to push the negotiations forward and focus on reducing plastic production.
The production of plastic has doubled in twenty years. It wraps food and is woven into fabrics for clothing and buildings, making it an important material for disposable medical products.
According to data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a total of 460 million tonnes of this material were produced in 2019. The organization predicts that if no measures are taken, production can triple again by 2060.
There is only one in a generation
About two thirds of plastic waste is disposed of after only one or more uses and less than 10% recycled.
Millions of tons of plastic waste are thrown into the environment or improperly burned, polluting the air. In the course of time, it will decompose into tiny fragments that are scattered all over the
In a report published in mid-May, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) called for systematic change by significantly expanding reuse and recycling and promoting alternative materials to free society from disposable consumption.
The company stated that up to 2040 this will help reduce the total annual plastic pollution by 80% and halve the disposable plastic production.
But activists hope to be able to focus more on reducing production.
Louise Edge, a global plastics activist for Greenpeace, said in an open letter this week that the contract "represents a unique opportunity to solve the plastic crisis," raising concerns about the industry's influence in the negotiations.
Its success depends on whether governments are courageous enough to ensure that the Treaty meets the scientific need that
Reducing the use and production of plastics is the top priority of an ambitious alliance of 53-countries led by Rwanda and Norway, including the European Union, Canada and Mexico.
On the contrary, other countries promote dependence on recycling, innovation and better waste management.
As with the United Nations negotiations on climate and biodiversity, financing is also a central point of tension.
Rich economies have always been more polluting, and over the years they have exported their waste to poor countries for recycling, which often end up in the environment.
Some developing countries fear that regulations could put too much strain on their economies.
There are still doubts as to the binding nature of the contract.
For example, a spokesman for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the United States hoped to limit the legal scope of the agreement.
