Latest news with #FlorianTitze
The Advertiser
6 days ago
- General
- The Advertiser
Final push for global plastics treaty begins in Geneva
Representatives from more than 160 countries have begun a final attempt to create a legally binding international treaty to combat plastic pollution. The UN talks in Geneva aim to secure a deal that regulates plastic production, design and waste management. According to estimates from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), around 500 million tonnes of plastic were produced globally in 2024, nearly 400 million of which ended up as waste. Without an agreement, UNEP warns that waste volume could triple by 2060. "Every hour counts," said the chairman of the conference, Ecuadorian Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso. "We are setting the foundations for a global tool that could change the future of environmental history," he added. The negotiations are scheduled to run until August 14. The UN Environment Assembly agreed in March 2022 to negotiate a treaty to combat plastic pollution. No agreement was reached at the last round of negotiations held in South Korea in late 2024. The treaty is to cover the production, design and disposal of plastic. Less plastic is to be produced, products are to be reused and recycled as many times as possible, and what remains is to be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. How this is to be achieved is controversial. "It's time for courage, not compromise,' says Florian Titze from WWF. "An agreement based on the lowest common denominator will not solve the plastic crisis." The WWF environmental foundation notes that "plastic waste destroys habitats, endangers animals and humans and poisons ecosystems." According to estimates by the UNEP, people around the world used 500 million tonnes of plastic last year, almost twice as much as 25 years previously. According to UNEP, 400 million tonnes of this is likely to quickly end up as waste. Our World in Data says a quarter of the plastic waste in rivers and oceans comes from plastic bags and bottles. China, the country with the largest plastic production, has already planned national production restrictions. Most plastics are made from oil, which is why the oil states in particular are preventing an ambitious treaty, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states and Russia. They only want to talk about waste and recycling. The US government under Donald Trump is currently abolishing regulations of all kinds. "This has not exactly simplified the situation in the negotiations, conference sources said. Representatives from more than 160 countries have begun a final attempt to create a legally binding international treaty to combat plastic pollution. The UN talks in Geneva aim to secure a deal that regulates plastic production, design and waste management. According to estimates from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), around 500 million tonnes of plastic were produced globally in 2024, nearly 400 million of which ended up as waste. Without an agreement, UNEP warns that waste volume could triple by 2060. "Every hour counts," said the chairman of the conference, Ecuadorian Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso. "We are setting the foundations for a global tool that could change the future of environmental history," he added. The negotiations are scheduled to run until August 14. The UN Environment Assembly agreed in March 2022 to negotiate a treaty to combat plastic pollution. No agreement was reached at the last round of negotiations held in South Korea in late 2024. The treaty is to cover the production, design and disposal of plastic. Less plastic is to be produced, products are to be reused and recycled as many times as possible, and what remains is to be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. How this is to be achieved is controversial. "It's time for courage, not compromise,' says Florian Titze from WWF. "An agreement based on the lowest common denominator will not solve the plastic crisis." The WWF environmental foundation notes that "plastic waste destroys habitats, endangers animals and humans and poisons ecosystems." According to estimates by the UNEP, people around the world used 500 million tonnes of plastic last year, almost twice as much as 25 years previously. According to UNEP, 400 million tonnes of this is likely to quickly end up as waste. Our World in Data says a quarter of the plastic waste in rivers and oceans comes from plastic bags and bottles. China, the country with the largest plastic production, has already planned national production restrictions. Most plastics are made from oil, which is why the oil states in particular are preventing an ambitious treaty, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states and Russia. They only want to talk about waste and recycling. The US government under Donald Trump is currently abolishing regulations of all kinds. "This has not exactly simplified the situation in the negotiations, conference sources said. Representatives from more than 160 countries have begun a final attempt to create a legally binding international treaty to combat plastic pollution. The UN talks in Geneva aim to secure a deal that regulates plastic production, design and waste management. According to estimates from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), around 500 million tonnes of plastic were produced globally in 2024, nearly 400 million of which ended up as waste. Without an agreement, UNEP warns that waste volume could triple by 2060. "Every hour counts," said the chairman of the conference, Ecuadorian Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso. "We are setting the foundations for a global tool that could change the future of environmental history," he added. The negotiations are scheduled to run until August 14. The UN Environment Assembly agreed in March 2022 to negotiate a treaty to combat plastic pollution. No agreement was reached at the last round of negotiations held in South Korea in late 2024. The treaty is to cover the production, design and disposal of plastic. Less plastic is to be produced, products are to be reused and recycled as many times as possible, and what remains is to be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. How this is to be achieved is controversial. "It's time for courage, not compromise,' says Florian Titze from WWF. "An agreement based on the lowest common denominator will not solve the plastic crisis." The WWF environmental foundation notes that "plastic waste destroys habitats, endangers animals and humans and poisons ecosystems." According to estimates by the UNEP, people around the world used 500 million tonnes of plastic last year, almost twice as much as 25 years previously. According to UNEP, 400 million tonnes of this is likely to quickly end up as waste. Our World in Data says a quarter of the plastic waste in rivers and oceans comes from plastic bags and bottles. China, the country with the largest plastic production, has already planned national production restrictions. Most plastics are made from oil, which is why the oil states in particular are preventing an ambitious treaty, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states and Russia. They only want to talk about waste and recycling. The US government under Donald Trump is currently abolishing regulations of all kinds. "This has not exactly simplified the situation in the negotiations, conference sources said. Representatives from more than 160 countries have begun a final attempt to create a legally binding international treaty to combat plastic pollution. The UN talks in Geneva aim to secure a deal that regulates plastic production, design and waste management. According to estimates from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), around 500 million tonnes of plastic were produced globally in 2024, nearly 400 million of which ended up as waste. Without an agreement, UNEP warns that waste volume could triple by 2060. "Every hour counts," said the chairman of the conference, Ecuadorian Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso. "We are setting the foundations for a global tool that could change the future of environmental history," he added. The negotiations are scheduled to run until August 14. The UN Environment Assembly agreed in March 2022 to negotiate a treaty to combat plastic pollution. No agreement was reached at the last round of negotiations held in South Korea in late 2024. The treaty is to cover the production, design and disposal of plastic. Less plastic is to be produced, products are to be reused and recycled as many times as possible, and what remains is to be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. How this is to be achieved is controversial. "It's time for courage, not compromise,' says Florian Titze from WWF. "An agreement based on the lowest common denominator will not solve the plastic crisis." The WWF environmental foundation notes that "plastic waste destroys habitats, endangers animals and humans and poisons ecosystems." According to estimates by the UNEP, people around the world used 500 million tonnes of plastic last year, almost twice as much as 25 years previously. According to UNEP, 400 million tonnes of this is likely to quickly end up as waste. Our World in Data says a quarter of the plastic waste in rivers and oceans comes from plastic bags and bottles. China, the country with the largest plastic production, has already planned national production restrictions. Most plastics are made from oil, which is why the oil states in particular are preventing an ambitious treaty, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states and Russia. They only want to talk about waste and recycling. The US government under Donald Trump is currently abolishing regulations of all kinds. "This has not exactly simplified the situation in the negotiations, conference sources said.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UN Ocean Conference makes headway in quest to protect high seas
The UN Ocean conference in southern France ended on Friday with some progress towards marine conservation and calls from environmental organizations for quick implementation if the international community is to reach its goals by 2030. Representatives from 170 countries spent five days in the French resort of Nice discussing the protection of the world's oceans, with signatories hoping to use the conference to make progress on the UN goal of effectively protecting at least 30% of the world's oceans by 2030, compared with 8% today. "This conference has made significant progress on marine protection, despite the difficult geopolitical situation," German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider said on Friday. The conference saw more support for an international agreement to protect the high seas, which make up around 60-70% of the oceans. The High Seas Protection Agreement, adopted by the United Nations two years ago aims to regulate international waters. More than a dozen states ratified the agreement at the conference, meaning the target of 60 states ratifying should be reached by September, according to France, which co-hosted the conference with Costa Rica. The event also built momentum to address plastic waste, with some 95 countries calling for the production of primary plastics to be limited. They also want an obligation for countries to report on their production, import and export, and to see a commitment in the agreement to phase out the most problematic plastic products and chemicals in plastics. "What is outlined here is a good start and, at the same time, the absolute minimum required to effectively combat plastic pollution," said Florian Titze from WWF Germany. Progress was also made on numerous other topics in Nice, including a French and German initiative to identify the exact location of munitions dumps in the Baltic and North Seas. A group of states also wants to push ahead with the fight against noise pollution in the ocean, while UNESCO wants to do more to promote marine education. However, the executive director of the OceanCare organization, Fabienne McLellan warned that UN Ocean Conferences serve as litmus tests for whether the international community can achieve the goals it has set itself for protecting the oceans by 2030. She said countries around the world are still a long way from these goals. The next UN Ocean Conference is planned for 2028 and will be hosted by South Korea and Chile. Two previous editions took place in New York in 2017 and Lisbon in 2022.
