US EditionNations gather in Geneva to again confront the world's spiraling plastic pollution crisis
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, AUG 5 – Negotiators aim to finalize a treaty addressing plastic production, recycling, and waste management as global plastic output exceeds 400 million tons annually, UNEP data shows.
- On August 5, delegates from 179 countries began a 10-day session in Geneva to negotiate INC-5.2, aiming for a binding plastics treaty.
- Following a 2022 agreement, negotiators hit a wall in Busan last December when oil-producing states blocked consensus.
- Research highlights severe ecosystem and economic damages; global plastic production and health-related losses underscore the crisis.
- Amid growing urgency, Vayas Valdivieso told negotiators from 180 countries `We are facing a global crisis` on Tuesday, urging immediate action.
- Looking ahead, plastic production must fall by at least 12 to 19%, as only 9% of plastic is recycled, according to Melanie Bergmann.
276 Articles
276 Articles
White House faces backlash after urging countries to reject UN treaty goal: 'It's economic self-sabotage'
As a round of in-person negotiations over an international agreement to rein in plastic production and waste commenced, the U.S. circulated a memo stating its opposition to placing a cap on how much plastic nations can produce, Reuters reported. Additionally, the U.S. memo said that it opposed limits on what chemical additives can be included in plastic, as well as formulating a global plan to address the plastic lifecycle. "We plainly do not s…
Daily Breeze
US at plastics treaty talks is rare international participation under Trump. What’s the goal?
By JENNIFER McDERMOTT Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, the United States has withdrawn from international negotiations and commitments, particularly around climate. But the U.S. is very much involved in treaty talks for a global accord to end plastic pollution. Nations kicked off a meeting Tuesday in Geneva to try to complete a landmark treaty over 10 days to end the spiraling plastic pollution crisis. The biggest issue is whether the …
Petrostates and Oil Lobbies Could Derail Global Plastics Treaty
As delegates from 184 countries begin talks in Geneva on a global treaty to curb plastic waste and pollution, the negotiations that began in 2022 are nowhere close to an agreement. Geneva hosts the second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, after the first part failed to reach a deal in South Korea late last year. This year, chances …
Exclusive-Trump administration memo urges countries to reject plastic production caps in UN Treaty
GENEVA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States has sent letters to at least a handful of countries urging them to reject the goal of a global pact that includes limits on plastic production and plastic chemical additives at the start of U.N. plastic treaty talks in Geneva, according to a memo and communications seen by Reuters. Read full story
The UN Conference is launching a new attempt to reach an agreement on plastic waste. The last attempt in the South Korean Busan failed at the end of 2024.
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