The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastics is creating the world's first legally enforceable international treaty on plastic pollution
A United Nations group has gathered in Paris to work on what is expected to be a groundbreaking pact to prevent global plastic pollution, but there is little agreement on the conclusion.
The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastics has been tasked with creating the first international, legally binding treaty on plastic pollution, notably in the marine environment. This is the second of five meetings scheduled to conclude negotiations by the end of 2024.
At the first meeting, held in Uruguay six months ago, some countries pushed for global mandates, others for national solutions, and still others for both.
Due to the relatively tight schedule for treaty discussions, experts say that choices about the text's objectives and scope — such as what types of plastics it would focus on — must be made during this second session. However, this is easier said than done. Over 2,000 people, including governments and observers, from almost 200 nations have arrived at the gathering, which is being hosted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Paris.
One important problem under consideration is the way of voting on decisions for each nation, which has already resulted in heated debate and delays in the plenary sessions, which are set to end Friday.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, humanity creates more than 430 million tonnes of plastic per year, two-thirds of which are short-lived items that quickly become waste, flooding the ocean and, in many cases, making their way into the human food chain. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, global plastic waste production is expected to nearly treble by 2060, with roughly half ending up in landfill and less than a fifth recycled.
The convention might focus on human health and the environment, as desired by the self-described "high ambition coalition" of nations led by Norway and Rwanda, with limits on plastic manufacture and bans on some chemicals used in plastics. The group is dedicated to developing a legally binding international instrument to stop plastic pollution by 2040. It claims that this is vital to protecting human health and the environment while also assisting in the restoration of biodiversity and mitigating climate change.