The United Nations (UN) member states have agreed to start international negotiations on drawing up a ‘Global Plastics Treaty’ that could set rules for production, use and disposal of plastics.
- The decision was made at a meeting of the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi.
- World leaders have until 2024 to agree the Global Plastics Treaty, including which elements will be legally binding and how the deal will be financed.
- Negotiators have been given a broad mandate to target plastic trash in all its forms — not just bottles and straws in the ocean, but invisible microplastics polluting the air, soil and food chain.
- The mandate to members allows for binding and voluntary measures, and the setting of global targets and obligations, the development of national action plans, and mechanisms for tracking progress and ensuring accountability.
About plastics
- The amount of plastic trash entering the oceans is forecast to triple by 2040.
- Today, we produce about 300 million tonnes of plastic waste every year. That’s nearly equivalent to the weight of the entire human population.
- Some 98 per cent of single-use plastic products are produced from fossil fuel, or “virgin” feedstock. The level of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production, use and disposal of conventional fossil fuel-based plastics is forecast to grow to 19 per cent of the global carbon budget by 2040.
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