Latest news with #MelanieBergmann
Times of Oman
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Can a global treaty solve the plastics crisis?
Geneva: After a failed attempt to finalize a global plastics treaty last year in Busan, South Korea, 170 countries are meeting in Geneva from Tuesday until August 14 to negotiate a binding agreement on reducing plastic waste. Delegates will decide the extent to which plastic production should be limited and also the design, disposal and waste management of plastic across its whole lifecycle. Worldwide, 413 million tons of plastic are produced annually, enough to fill over half a million Olympic swimming pools. Just 9% of this is recycled. The rest is incinerated or ends up in landfills or the ocean. Along the way, it pollutes the soil and harms wildlife and human health. Microplastics have found their way into every corner of the planet — and the human body. Plastic producers try to limit cuts Around 100 countries across Africa, Latin America, the EU and beyond — the so-called High Ambition Coalition — are pushing for a progressive agreement that includes, among other things, a significant reduction in plastic production. Plastic is produced predominantly with oil, a fossil fuel that is a main driver of human-made climate change. To achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, plastic production must be cut by at least 12 to 19%, according to Melanie Bergmann, a biologist at the Germany-based Alfred Wegener Institute that specializes in marine research. Standing in the way of a meaningful reduction are plastic manufacturing countries and oil producers — including Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia — who in Geneva are banded under the Like-Minded Coalition. Florian Titze, head of international policy at environmental NGO WWF, notes that oil and plastic producers oppose including policies like single-use plastic bans in the agreement. The pro-plastics lobby argues that the plastic crisis is founded on "poor waste management" and cannot be solved by limiting demand, notes Titze. Therefore, they want an agreement that focuses on plastic collection, consumer information and higher recycling rates. However, this would not stop overproduction, which Titze believes is the actual source of the problem. Virginia Janssens, managing director of Plastics Europe, which represents plastic producers in the region, warns against "oversimplified measures such as capping global production of primary plastics." While she admits that plastic pollution is a serious problem, solutions require "system-wide collaboration, not just within our sector, but across value chains, public authorities and more broadly," Janssens told DW. Recycling will not solve the problem Although recycling and waste management are important parts of combating the plastics crisis, they remain limited without reducing the amount of plastic, explained Bergmann, who will accompany the German delegation at the treaty negotiations. "If the amount of plastic in circulation increases every year, then we will need more and more of these infrastructures [for recycling and waste management]," said the scientist. "We can already see in the richer parts of the world that our systems cannot cope, despite the huge budget that we are already allocating to this." And that is despite a nation like Germany spending around €16 billion ($18.5 million) annually on waste management, water purification and combating environmental pollution. Hypocrisy from Germany and the EU? With around eight million tons of plastic produced annually, Germany is by far the largest plastic manufacturer in Europe, followed by Belgium and France. Globally, one-third of all plastics come from China, and just under 20% from other Asian countries and North America. Meanwhile, per capita annual plastic consumption in North America and Europe is 94 kilograms (207 pounds) and 85 kilograms, respectively. In China, the figure is 58 kilograms. Some experts who are close to the talks say it is hypocritical that the most ambitious countries demanding drastic plastic production cuts are the biggest plastic consumers. "Everybody is claiming to be super ambitious. I mean, at some point, it's even becoming perverse," said Aleksandar Rankovic, the founder of the Common Initiative environmental think tank and a regular observer at the treaty negotiations. He warns against placing responsibility solely on oil-producing countries and manufacturers and doubts that a binding target to produce a "sustainable level" of plastic can be achieved since it is too vague. Meanwhile, Germany's Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety says it's necessary to reduce primary plastic production to support a circular economy approach that aims to minimize resource consumption and keep materials in use for as long as possible — in addition to recycling. Italy, Spain, and France share this view and are promoting a corresponding position in the EU. The power of the plastics lobby In addition to national negotiating teams, hundreds of stakeholders from the plastics and chemical industries are expected in Geneva. "My experience is that there has been quite a bit of lobbying and efforts to undermine science around plastics that has been increasing over the past few years," explains Bethanie Carney Almroth, an ecotoxicologist at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden who researches the harmful effects of chemicals in plastics — high ambition countries also want to reduce toxin levels in plastics. Last year, more lobbyists attended the treaty round in Busan than all the delegates from the European Union member states combined. Carney Almroth says the industry is trying to cast doubt on the credibility of science with its own biased studies. But Janssens of Plastics Europe told DW that the association and its members "recognize the importance of independent science." "Ensuring evidence-based dialogue and decision-making is critical to finding the most effective solutions," she added. Carney Almroth, meanwhile, says scientists like herself have been defamed and intimidated in emails, in the media, or in letters to the editors of scientific publications. She claims that at a conference in Canada, a representative of the packaging industry stormed into the lecture hall and accused her of spreading misinformation. After Carney Almroth filed a complaint with the UN, the man was forced to apologise. Will it remain a historic opportunity? Rankovic does not believe that a groundbreaking agreement will be adopted in Geneva, but rather a kind of framework convention, a minimum consensus that could then be built upon in the coming years. Nonetheless, with plastic production set to double in the next 20 years, time is running out. With an agreement, we have a historic opportunity to get the plastic problem under control, says Bergmann.
DW
05-08-2025
- Politics
- DW
Can a global treaty solve the plastics crisis? – DW – 08/05/2025
More than 170 countries are negotiating a binding agreement to slash fossil plastic production — and pollution. The oil industry claims we can recycle our way out of the problem. After a failed attempt to finalize a global plastics treaty last year in Busan, South Korea, 170 countries are meeting in Geneva from today until August 14 to negotiate a binding agreement on reducing plastic waste. Delegates will decide the extent to which plastic production should be limited, but also the design, disposal and waste management of plastic across its whole life-cycle. 413 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide every year, enough to fill over half a million Olympic swimming pools. Just 9% of this is recycled. The rest is incinerated, ends up in landfills or the ocean. Along the way it pollutes the soil and harms wildlife and human health. Microplastics have found their way into every corner of the planet — and the human body. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Around 100 countries across Africa, Latin America, the EU and beyond — the so-called High Ambition Coalition — are pushing for a progressive agreement that includes, among other things, a significant reduction in plastic production. Plastic is produced predominantly with oil, a fossil fuel that is a main driver of human-made climate change. In order to achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, plastic production must be cut by at least 12 to 19%, according to Melanie Bergmann, a biologist at the Germany-based Alfred Wegener Institute that specializes in marine research. Standing in the way of a meaningful reduction are plastic manufacturing countries and oil producers — including Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia — who in Geneva are banded under the Like-Minded Coalition. Florian Titze, head of international policy at environmental NGO WWF, notes that oil and plastic producers oppose including policies like single-use plastic bans in the agreement. The pro-plastics lobby argue that the plastic crisis is founded on "poor waste management," and cannot be solved by limiting demand, notes Titze. They therefore want an agreement that focuses on plastic collection, consumer information and higher recycling rates. However, this would not stop overproduction, which Titze believes is the actual source of the problem. Virginia Janssens, managing director of Plastics Europe, which represents plastic producers in the region, warns against "oversimplified measures such as capping global production of primary plastics." While she admits that plastic pollution is a serious problem, solutions require "system-wide collaboration, not just within our sector, but across value chains, public authorities and more broadly," Janssens told DW. Although recycling and waste management are an important part of combating the plastics crisis, they remain limited without a reduction in the amount of plastic, explained Bergmann, who will accompany the German delegation at the treaty negotiations. "If the amount of plastic in circulation increases every year, then we will need more and more of these infrastructures [for recycling and waste management]," said the scientist. "We can already see in the richer parts of the world that our systems cannot cope, despite the huge budget that we are already allocating to this." And that is despite the fact that a nation like Germany spends around 16 billion euros per year on waste management, water purification, and combating environmental pollution. With around eight million tons of plastic produced annually, Germany is by far the largest plastic manufacturer in Europe, followed by Belgium and France. Globally, one-third of all plastics come from China, and just under 20% from other Asian countries and North America. Meanwhile, per capita annual plastic consumption in North America and Europe is 94 kg (207 lbs) and 85 kg respectively. In China, the figure is 58 kg. The fact that the most ambitious countries demanding drastic plastic production cuts are the biggest plastics consumers is hypocritical, say some experts who are close to the talks. "Everybody is claiming to be super ambitious. I mean, at some point it's even becoming perverse," said Aleksandar Rankovic, the founder of the Common Initiative environmental think tank and a regular observer at the treaty negotiations. He warns against placing responsibility solely on oil-producing countries and manufacturers, and doubts that a binding target to produce a "sustainable level" of plastic can be achieved since it is too vague. Meanwhile, Germany's Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety says it's necessary to reduce primary plastic production in order to support a circular economy approach that aims to minimize resource consumption and keep materials in use for as long as possible — in addition to recycling. Italy, Spain, and France share this view and are promoting a corresponding position in the EU. In addition to national negotiating teams, hundreds of stakeholders from the plastics and chemical industries are expected in Geneva. "My experience is that there has been quite a bit of lobbying and efforts to undermine science around plastics that has been increasing over the past few years," explains Bethanie Carney Almroth, an ecotoxicologist at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden who researches the harmful effects of chemicals in plastics — high ambition countries also want to reduce toxin levels in plastics. Last year, there were more lobbyists present at the treaty round in Busan than all the delegates from the European Union member states combined. Carney Almroth says the industry is trying to cast doubt on the credibility of science with its own biased studies. But Janssens of Plastics Europe told DW that the association and its members "recognize the importance of independent science." "Ensuring evidence-based dialogue and decision-making is critical to finding the most effective solutions,' she added. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Carney Almroth, meanwhile, says scientists like herself have been defamed and intimidated in emails, in the media, or in letters to the editors of scientific publications. She claims that at a conference in Canada, a representative of the packaging industry stormed into the lecture hall and accused her of spreading misinformation. After Carney Almroth filed a complaint with the UN, the man was forced to apologize. Rankovic does not believe that a groundbreaking agreement will be adopted in Geneva, but rather a kind of framework convention, a minimum consensus that could then be built upon in the coming years. Nonetheless, with plastic production set to double in the next 20 years, time is running out. With an agreement, we have a historic opportunity to get the plastic problem under control, says Bergmann. "If I didn't believe that something could be achieved here, I wouldn't need to go."
India Today
04-08-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Global push to curb plastic pollution: Can Geneva talks deliver a treaty?
Plastics have become deeply embedded in our daily lives, with global production reaching a staggering 460 million tonnes annually. Nearly as much waste is generated, 353 million tonnes, raising alarm bells amongst experts who warn that this figure could triple by 2060, bringing with it immense environmental a renewed effort to combat this crisis, delegates from over 170 countries are convening in Geneva, Switzerland, from August 5 to 14, to draft a legally binding global treaty on plastic meeting follows the failed negotiations of the 2024 UN Global Plastics Treaty, where countries could not agree on a unified Pollution: A Mounting Environmental Crisis Plastic is responsible for 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, a footprint greater than that of the aviation and shipping industries combined. Oceans are already bearing the brunt of this pollution. A recent study reveals that the upper layers of the North Atlantic alone contain 27 million tonnes of tiny particles are now pervasive, not just in water but also in soil, crops, animals, and even human blood. Their ability to bioaccumulate, gradually build up in living organisms, makes them particularly dangerous, contributing to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Observers noted greater clarity on 'red lines' regarding plastic production limits. (Photo: Getty) High Stakes in Geneva: Will the World Unite?Dr. Melanie Bergmann of the Alfred Wegener Institute emphasised the significance of the upcoming talks:'Ideally, we will achieve in Geneva that the global community, or at least large parts of it, commit to a strong agreement that is based on scientific facts and recognises how harmful plastic is to humans and nature.'However, during the last round of negotiations in December 2024 in Seoul, efforts to reach a consensus collapsed. While Latin American, African, and several EU countries pushed for strict controls, they faced resistance from oil-producing nations, Canada, the U.S., and India—all of which have economic stakes tied to petroleum, a key raw material in plastic production. Despite the stalemate, observers noted greater clarity on 'red lines' regarding plastic production limits and chemical Bergmann added, 'The delegations must use diplomacy to bring their positions closer together, despite geopolitical tensions and differing interests, to create a basis for successful cooperation.'The Path Forward: Cut at the SourceTo effectively address plastic-related emissions, experts say production must be cut by 12–17% each year. Dr. Bergmann stressed the importance of upstream intervention:'Scientific calculations show that effective measures must start at the production level. We should limit production to unavoidable applications, reduce chemical diversity from the design stage, and phase out substances of concern.'A Treaty Within Reach?The road ahead will require science-driven decisions, political will, and global cooperation. If nations can put the planet over profit, a binding agreement may finally emerge, offering hope in the fight against one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.- EndsMust Watch
