UN plastic pollution talks must result in ambitious treaty, leading expert says
Prof Richard Thompson, who was named one of Time's 100 most influential people this year for his groundbreaking work on plastic pollution, said decisive action was needed to protect human health and the planet.
He spoke on Monday as delegates from more than 170 countries prepared to meet in Geneva to bridge what have become deep divisions over whether limits on plastic production are included in a final treaty.
Last November, talks in Busan, South Korea, to secure a global treaty to end plastic pollution broke down without agreement. More than 100 countries support legally binding global reductions in plastic production and the phasing out of certain chemicals and single-use plastic products.
But nations with large fossil fuel industries such as Saudi Arabia, China, Russia and Iran oppose restrictions on plastic production, and are pushing for an agreement focused on better management and recycling of waste. The US under President Biden and now President Trump has indicated it is more supportive of a lower ambition treaty which does not include production cuts.
The scale of plastic production and its threat to public health and the environment was underlined once more on Monday when a new report warned that the world is in a 'plastics crisis' which is causing disease and death from infancy to old age and is responsible for at least $1.5tn (£1.1tn) a year in health-related damages.
The huge acceleration of plastic production, which has increased by more than 200 times since 1950 and is expected to almost triple again to more than a billion tonnes a year by 2060, has been fuelled largely by surges in the production of single-use plastics, the majority of which are used for packaging, drink and food containers.
Thompson, head of the international marine litter research unit at Plymouth University, first identified and coined the phrase microplastics to describe how tiny bits of plastic accumulate in marine environments. Attending the Geneva talks as coordinator of the scientists coalition for an effective plastics treaty, he said an ambitious treaty would be a gamechanger for the planet and future generations.
'It is now clear that plastic pollution contaminates our planet from the poles to the equator,' he said. 'We find microplastics in our deepest oceans and our highest mountains. There is evidence of human exposure to them from the womb, throughout our entire lifetime.
'It is really clear to protect future generations we need to take decisive action now on a treaty to address plastic pollution. So I really hope negotiators can look the next generation in the eye and say they acted decisively.'
If agreed, a global plastics treaty would be an international, legally binding agreement designed to end plastic pollution by setting targets that nations would need to meet to try to end the 11m tonnes of plastic pollution that are dumped in the ocean every year.
But since 2022, when the UN first secured an agreement from 173 countries to develop a legally binding treaty to cut plastic pollution, five separate negotiations have failed to secure a final text to sign.
The initial agreement was for a treaty to address the whole life cycle of plastics. But increasing numbers of plastics industry lobbyists have attended each round of talks to push back against production cuts.
Sign up to Down to Earth
The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential
after newsletter promotion
In Busan last year, 220 fossil fuel and chemical industry representatives – more plastic producers than ever – were represented, including 16 lobbyists from the plastics industry attending as part of country delegations.
'There are those countries that consider the economic threat because their business-as-usual is threatened by this,' said Thompson. 'But the mandate that brings negotiators from 170 countries to Geneva this week sets out that plastic pollution is harmful. It is really clear that business-as-usual is not sustainable.'
Globally only 9% of plastic produced is recycled, and Thompson, whose work directly led to the ban on microbeads in cosmetic products in the UK, said the evidence showed that plastic production needed to be reduced to tackle plastic pollution.
He said a treaty needed to ensure only plastic that was essential to society was produced, the thousands of chemicals used in plastic were reduced, and that all the plastic produced in future was sustainable, which involved moving to reuse and a circular economy in plastic.
All of that, he said, would effectively reduce the amount of plastic produced globally.
Graham Forbes, Greenpeace's head of delegation to the treaty negotiations, said the science, the moral imperative and the economics were clear. 'Uncontrolled plastic production is a death sentence. The only way to end plastic pollution is to stop making so much plastic.
'World leaders must seize the opportunity in Geneva, stand up to the fossil fuel industry and take humanity's first step towards ending the plastics crisis and create a healthier, safer future for all.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Republicans who backed Trump's anti-environment bill have accepted over $105m from big oil
The Republican lawmakers who voted for Donald Trump's anti-environment tax and spending bill have accepted more than $105m in political donations from the fossil fuel industry, a new analysis has found, raising concerns about their relationship with big oil. Signed into law last month, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes billions of dollars in giveaways to oil and gas companies and their executives, alongside provisions to scale back credits for clean vehicles, wind and solar which were enshrined by Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). All but two GOP House members voted to support the budget bill, as did all but three GOP senators. That includes many Republicans from districts who benefited most from the IRA's green credits, and those who spent months attempting to defend renewable energy tax credits from the budget bill's provisions, such as Representative Andrew Garbarino of New York and Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and John Curtis of Utah. The new report from the environmental advocacy group Climate Power totalled up the funds the bill's backers have accepted from the fossil fuel industry over the course of their political careers, finding that House members accepted $54.4m and senators accepted $51.5m. 'These Republicans in Congress are caught red-handed taking massive donations from the oil and gas industry, and voting to give them billions and to destroy their competition from their own state's clean energy industries,' the analysis says. With House midterm elections scheduled for next year, Climate Power also looked at fossil fuel donations to the 15 House Republicans deemed most vulnerable to an electoral challenge, according to the Cook Political Report, which independently analyzes the political viability of elections and campaigns. All 15 backed the mega-bill, and together, they accepted more than $3m in donations from the fossil fuel industry, the authors found. Hailing from Colorado, Iowa, Arizona, New Jersey, California, Michigan and New York, the lawmakers on the list are from regions that have seen benefits from the IRA's credits for wind and solar energy, as well as battery manufacturing. The mega-bill puts more than 110,000 jobs from the three sectors at risk in the 15 lawmakers' districts, and is also expected to raise consumers' energy bills by up to $200 annually by 2030, according to the climate policy thinktank Energy Innovation. Some on the list had previously critiqued the bill: Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa, who has accepted $229,179 in oil and gas contributions, pledged to support clean energy tax credits but backed the legislation anyway, while Colorado's Jeff Hurd, pledged to oppose the bill due to its cuts to Medicaid but ended up supporting it. 'These Republican members of Congress all represent moderate swing districts with close elections, where voters of both parties expect their representatives to look out for them, not to kill their jobs and raise their utility bills for the sake of out-of-state special interests,' said Pete Jones, a director at Climate Power. 'These members chose who to stand up for, and they picked their billionaire donors.' Big oil spent a stunning $445m throughout the last election cycle to influence Trump and Congress, Climate Power found in January. The industry also poured more than $19m into Trump's inaugural fund, accounting for nearly 8% of all donations it raised, a report found last month. 'We will be a rich nation again, and it is that liquid gold under our feet that will help to do it,' Trump said in his inaugural address. Since re-entering the White House, Trump has passed not only the anti-environmental One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but has also signed a slew of executive orders and policies aimed at cracking down on clean energy and boosting already-booming oil and gas.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Bid to reach world's first plastic pollution treaty ends in failure after 10-day UN conference
Negotiations to reach a major treaty to end growing plastic pollution around the world fell apart on Friday, with delegates in Switzerland adjourning with no immediate plans to resume. The consequence of the failed talks is devastating, as it leaves no clear path for nations to collectively address the mountains of plastic that are filling landfills, clogging oceans and showing up in chunks on beaches and other public places. 'Consensus is dead,' Bjorn Beeler, international coordinator for the International Pollutants Elimination Network, upon adjournment. Every year, the world makes more than 400 million tons of new plastic, and that could grow by about 70 per cent by 2040 without policy changes. About 100 countries want to limit production. Many have said it's also essential to address toxic chemicals used to make plastics. The final decision, or lack there of, underscored the influence of the United States and other oil-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia, which opposed any limit on the productions of plastics, made mostly from fuels like oil and gas. Nations had worked for 11 days at the United Nations office in Geneva. But they were deadlocked over whether the treaty should reduce exponential growth of plastic production and put global, legally binding controls on toxic chemicals used to make plastics. Environmentalists, waste pickers and Indigenous leaders and many business executives traveled to the talks to make their voices heard. Indigenous leaders sought a treaty that recognizes their rights and knowledge. The Youth Plastic Action Network was the only organisation that spoke at the closing meeting Friday. Comments from observers were cut off at the request of the US and Kuwait after 24 hours of meetings and negotiating. After the adjournment, some delegates tried to put a good face on the negotiations and expressed hope for future talks. Delegates did agree they would meet again at some point in the future. Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, said despite challenges, despite the disappointment, 'we have to accept that significant progress was made.' This process won't stop, she said, but it's too soon to say how long it will take to get a treaty now. The negotiations were supposed to be the last round and produce the first legally binding treaty on plastic pollution, including in the oceans. But just like at the meeting in South Korea last year, the talks ended with no agreement. Luis Vayas Valdivieso, the chair of the negotiating committee, wrote and presented two drafts of treaty text in Geneva based on the views expressed by the nations. The representatives from 184 countries did not agree to use either one as the basis for their negotiations. Valdivieso said Friday morning as the delegates reconvened in the assembly hall that no further action was being proposed at this stage on the latest draft. After a three-hour meeting, he banged a gavel made of recycled plastic bottle tops from a Nairobi landfill, one of many symbols of the plastic problem that were visible during the talks. European Commissioner Jessika Roswall said the European Union and its member states had higher expectations for this meeting and while the draft falls short on their demands, it's a good basis for another negotiating session. 'The Earth is not ours only. We are stewards for those who come after us. Let us fulfill that duty,' she said. Representatives of Norway, Australia, Tuvalu and others nations said they were 'deeply disappointed' to be leaving Geneva without a treaty. Madagascar's representative said the world is 'expecting action, not reports from us.' China's delegation said the fight against plastic pollution is a long marathon and that this temporary setback is a new starting point to forge consensus. For any proposal to make it into the treaty, every nation must agree. India, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, Vietnam and others have said that consensus is vital to an effective treaty. Some countries want to change the process so decisions may be made by a vote if necessary. Graham Forbes, head of the Greenpeace delegation in Geneva, urged delegates in that direction. 'We are going in circles. We cannot continue to do the same thing and expect a different result,' he said as Friday's meeting ended. The biggest issue of the talks has been whether the treaty should impose caps on producing new plastic or focus instead on things like better design, recycling and reuse. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the US opposed cutting plastic production or banning chemical additives in the treaty. The US supported provisions to improve waste collection and management, improve product design and drive recycling, reuse and other efforts to cut the plastic dumped into the environment. Luis Vayas Valdivieso, the chair of the negotiating committee, wrote and presented two drafts of treaty text in Geneva based on the views expressed by the nations Saudi Arabia said both drafts lacked balance, and Saudi and Kuwaiti negotiators said the latest proposal gave more weight to the views of other nations. That draft, released early Friday, did not include a limit on plastic production, but recognized that current levels of production and consumption are 'unsustainable' and global action is needed. New language had been added to say these levels exceeded current waste management capacities and are projected to increase further, 'thereby necessitating a coordinated global response to halt and reverse such trends.' The objective of the treaty was revamped to state that the accord would be based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full lifecycle of plastics. It talked about reducing plastic products containing 'a chemical or chemicals of concern to human health or the environment,' as well as reducing of single-use or short-lived plastic products. It was a much better, more ambitious text, though not perfect. Each country came to Geneva with a lot of 'red lines,' said Magnus Heunicke, the Danish environment minister. Denmark holds the rotating presidency of the Council of Europe.
Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Biden aide turned MSNBC host mocks Trump's DC crime crackdown...while shielded from chaos in her $2m home
A former aide to President Biden who's now a star MSNBC host has poo-poohed Donald Trump's Washington DC crime residing in an enormous $2 million home in a suburb miles from the lawlessness gripping much of the capital. Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, 46, joined much of the liberal herd in slamming the president's federal takeover of the capital's police department to try and lower crime. 'Meanwhile, the actual residents of the city Trump is trying to take over are definitely not aligned with that viewpoint, and they are pushing back,' she declared Wednesday on her show The Briefing Room. Psaki went on to share her delight at placards and protests devised by anti-police and Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) protesters across the city. But she made no mention of the fact that she lives in a six bedroom mansion in Arlington, just across the Potomac River from DC. The Virginia suburb was hailed as 'one of the safest places in America' in 2024 and is a world away from Washington DC's notorious wards seven and eight, despite being just a few miles away. Last year, more than half of DC's murders occurred in those two areas. More than 40 percent of children living in Wards 7 and 8 live in abject poverty and more than 900 residents reported feeling unsafe in their homes or cars at all hours of the day in a recent survey. But Psaki suggested Trump's crackdown was just window dressing. 'Federal agents reportedly stopping cars for things as minor as seatbelt violations and broken taillights,' she said. Psaki questioned whether such stops were 'really cracking down on crime'. She speculated that they were 'probably' being conducted to glean citizens' 'immigration status.' Psaki - after losing roughly half of Rachel Maddow's audience during her first month in the coveted 9pm timeslot - relished in reports that some of the bystanders 'ran into a CVS to quickly make signs warning others that ICE was ahead [while] directing drivers to turn left to avoid the checkpoint. 'You can see one of the signs there they're holding,' she said. 'That was DC last night,' she eventually concluded. 'The people of DC - which doesn't surprise me. I've lived here a long time - pushing back in practical ways against what Trump is trying to do to the city.' Psaki is one of a number of liberals who have taken issue with Trump's bid to make the capital more safe. They cite statistics showing that crimes have fallen since 2023. But DC has more murders per capita than Bogota in Colombia or Mexico City. It is also plagued by far more homicides than New York City, with other liberals conceding that the capital has a serious lawlessness problem that does need tackled. At least some DC residents have embraced Trump's forced takeover of Washington, DC's, police force with open arms, including a local black woman who uses the TikTok handle @bigdawglexi. She took to the platform to celebrate feeling safer since the first troops started arriving Tuesday morning. 'Finally able to chill at a red light with my windows down,' she said in a self-filmed video that went viral Friday. '(I'm) not worried about if one of them young n***s is coming… Riding through the city, feeling more safe than I ever felt.' Some of Psaki's own MSNBC stablemates are at least partly-supportive of the crime crackdown. Morning Joe star Joe Scarborough, who also lives in the city, said lawlessness was out of control. Former MSNBC star Chris Matthews, CNN's Anderson Cooper and Mike Nellis, a former Kamala Harris advisor, have all issues similar warnings since. They all claim Trump is goading Democrats into 'a trap' with his takeover of the DC, police force by daring members of the party to defend an unacceptable status quo of crime. The government in January said violent crime in DC was at a '30-year-low' in 2024, and early statistics from the Metropolitan Police Department suggest similar results can be expected for 2025. But such statistics can be misleading, all three said - especially when taken as truth without a hint of personal experience.
