Global efforts to tackle plastic pollution are moving forward. In early March, the United Nations announced a new round of negotiations for a worldwide plastic treaty, Reuters reported.
The negotiations are set to happen from Aug. 5-14 in Geneva. The last time countries met to discuss the treaty was December, but they were unable to come to an agreement.
The global plastics treaty looks to phase out unnecessary plastics that cause pollution, including single-use plastics. It would also set requirements for plastic production to reduce the amount of plastic products and packaging.
In 2022, 175 countries voted to adopt such a treaty. "The world has come together [to] act against plastic pollution — a serious threat to our planet. International partnerships will be crucial in tackling a problem that affects all of us," Jeanne d'Arc Mujawamariya, then Rwanda's Minister of Environment, stated.
A global plastics treaty could have far-reaching benefits for people and the planet. Plastic pollution has reached crisis levels. Plastics taint food, water, and air with chemicals that can cause an array of health problems, including cancer and obesity, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
And only about 6% of plastic is recycled, leaving 94% to fill landfills and litter the environment.
The treaty would create a shift to more sustainable production and reduce plastic use. This is already at work at the local level. In New Jersey, lawmakers are fighting against plastic waste by preventing food businesses from giving customers plasticware unless they ask for it. And Oregon's Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act expands recycling programs and requires businesses to fund waste reduction practices.
People are hopeful that the August negotiations will result in an agreement. "A lot of countries now really want to step up and demonstrate that the multilateral system is actually working," Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen said.
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