Will 6th Time Be the Charm to Tackle Plastic Pollution?

As the world drowns in hundreds of trillions of pieces of plastic, representatives from more than 170 countries converge in Geneva this week, aiming to finally strike a deal to tackle the escalating crisis that threatens both the planet and human health. Despite a 2022 agreement to create a legally binding treaty to cut waste and harmful chemicals in plastics, negotiations have stalled after five rounds, with no deal in place, per the BBC. Plastic's rapid rise over the past century—from 2 million metric tons produced in 1950 to 475 million in 2022—has been both a boon and a bane. Praised for its versatility and durability, plastic has found its way into everything from food packaging and clothing to sewage pipes and medical equipment. Yet it also poses a danger to people and animals.

Only about 10% of plastics are recycled, while roughly 60% are used just once before being discarded. That results in microplastics, tiny plastic fragments, that have been detected everywhere from ocean depths to mountaintops. Scientists warn nearly 200 trillion pieces of plastic are already floating in the oceans, a number that could triple without intervention. Marine wildlife is at particular risk, often mistaking plastic for food or becoming entangled in debris. But humans also face an elevated risk of cancer, respiratory illnesses, and miscarriages from plastic contamination in the human body, per the BBC. A recent Lancet report estimates $1.5 trillion in annual damage from diseases linked to plastics, which contain thousands of chemicals, many of which are toxic or poorly understood.

The AP digs into the negotiations to take place over 10 days beginning Tuesday, noting some countries, including Saudi Arabia, oppose plastic production limits. Yet "for any proposal to make it into the treaty, every nation must agree," the outlet notes. "We are pretty sure nobody wants plastic pollution. Still, we have not been able to find a systematic and an effective way to stop it," says Luis Vayas Valdivieso, who's chair of the negotiating committee, as well as Ecuador's ambassador to Britain. Now, "the urgency is real," he adds. "It would be a tragedy if we didn't live up to our mandate."