Leading Expert Calls for Ambitious UN Plastic Pollution Treaty

Leading Expert Calls for Ambitious UN Plastic Pollution Treaty
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As delegates from over 170 countries meet in Geneva to draft a global agreement on plastic pollution, a leading marine litter expert is calling for an ambitious and legally binding treaty, The Guardian reported. Professor Richard Thompson, who coined the term “microplastics,” warned that a “business-as-usual” approach is not sustainable and that decisive action is needed to protect future generations.

According to a new report cited in The Guardian, the plastics crisis is accelerating, with an estimated annual cost of $1.5 trillion in health-related damages. The report also links plastic pollution to disease and death at all stages of life, from a person’s time in the womb onward. Thompson advocates for a treaty that reduces the thousands of chemicals used in plastics, limits production to only essential items, and promotes a circular economy.

The talks are facing deep divisions. While more than 100 countries support legally binding reductions in plastic production, nations with large fossil fuel industries, such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, are pushing for an agreement focused primarily on recycling and waste management. Despite an initial agreement in 2022 to develop a legally binding treaty, five rounds of negotiations have yet to produce a final text.