The last straw? Plastic pollution talks take place in Geneva

Unless an international agreement is connected, It is expected that the plastic waste is three by 2060, Causing severe damage – including human health – according to the United Nations Environment Program (LEP).

UN -led talks follow a resolution in 2022 by member states to develop an international legal binding tool to end the plastic pollution crisis, including in the global seas, within two years.

The size of the problem is tremendous, with straw, cups and compounds, carrier bags and cosmetics that contain microbes; Only a few products with a single use that end in our oceans and landfill sites.

Supporters of the deal I compared it to the climate detail in Paris for the year 2015 in terms of its importance. They also pointed to the pressure that brings in front of Petrostate a deal, as raw oil and natural gas industries provide raw materials for the production of plastic materials.

“We will not recycle our way out of the plastic pollution crisis: We need a device to transform to move to a circular economy,” The Executive Director of the University of Otis Ingren Andersen insisted.

Circular argument

The goal of the deal is to include the full life cycle of plastic, from design to production and disposal “To enhance plastic circular and prevent plastic leakage in the environment”and According to the text used to direct the International negotiating committee talks (INC) in the Swiss city.

On 22 pages, Inc Document It contains 32 draft articles that will be discussed in line. The text is designed to form the future tool and will serve as a starting point for negotiations.

10 days period

For 10 days from 5 to 14 August, delegations from 179 countries return to pores on the Inc text when they meet in Geneva, along with more than 1900 other participants from 618 observer organizations, including scientists, environmental representatives and industry representatives.

The main goal of the meeting is to share tried ways and test them to reduce the use of plastic such as plastic non -safe alternatives.

Before the conversations in Geneva, the respectable medical magazine published The Lancet a warning that the materials used in plastic causes a widespread disease “at every stage of the plastic cycle life cycle and at every stage of human life.”

According to more than twenty health experts who were martyred in the magazine, infants and young children are especially weak. “The plastic materials are dangerous, increasing, and recognized for human health and planets,” and are responsible for the economic losses of health that exceeds $ 1 trillion annually. “

To follow the plastic pollution talks directly on the United Nations TV on the web, Click here.

Talks leadership in Geneva Gyotti Matour PhilippeExecutive Secretary of the International Governmental negotiation committee (or Inc) on plastic pollution, and the head of the Secretariat.

In 2024 alone, humanity was expected to consume more than 500 million tons of plastic. From this, it will become 399 million tons of mud. “

The latest expectations indicate that the plastic leakage in the environment will grow by 50 percent by 2040. “The cost of damage caused by plastic pollution may rise to an increase of 281 trillion dollars between 2016 and 2040.”

The road to an international agreement:

Five negotiating sessions have been made towards the plastic treaty so far …

• The first was in Uruguay In November 2022.
• Two others follow in 2023 – in France and Kenya.
• In April 2024, the International Negotiating Committee (INC) was held in Canada.
• Recently, discussions took place in Busan, Republic of KoreaAt the end of last year. These talks were postponed after the delegations agreed to resume discussions in Geneva, under the leadership of the head of the committee, Ambassador Luis Fayas Valdivizo of Ecuador.