Recently, a new round of negotiations on governing plastic pollution kicked off in the Canadian capital, Ottawa, with delegates from around the world gathering to continue discussions on establishing a new legally binding international treaty to address plastic pollution.
According to Nature, this marks the fourth meeting of the intergovernmental negotiating committee on the treaty. The previous three meetings were held in Uruguay, France, and Kenya. The planned fifth and final meeting is set to take place in Busan, South Korea, on November 25th this year.
Based on the "Draft Resolution to End Plastic Pollution" adopted in Nairobi, Kenya, in March 2022, the treaty in question must be finalized by the end of 2024, adding a sense of urgency for the representatives.
"I do feel a sense of urgency," said Douglas McCauley, an ecologist from the University of California, Santa Barbara, who is participating in the negotiations.
However, there is no shortage of relevant scientific knowledge and data, as researchers have released more reports, datasets, and models on plastics during the final stages of the negotiations than ever before.
Observers hope the treaty will encompass all aspects of plastic production and management. For instance, measures could include limiting plastic production or establishing financial mechanisms to support waste management. Yet, the treaty-making process faces obstacles due to various disagreements, such as some member states opposing stringent measures like restricting primary plastic production.
The current situation regarding plastic pollution is concerning. Data indicates that plastic production has exponentially increased from around 2 million tons in 1950 to 460 million tons in 2019. McCauley's research estimates that approximately 74 million tons of plastic waste are generated annually, with projections suggesting this figure could reach 122 million tons per year by 2050 under existing policies, far from its peak.
McCuley's team and other researchers have simulated the potential impact of policies that could be included in the new treaty on waste. The results show that achieving a "zero waste" goal would require a series of robust measures, including increased downstream efforts like plastic recycling and upstream efforts like limiting primary plastic production.
