Why does the world need a global plastic treaty?

On November 25, more than 170 countries converged in Busan to negotiate a new legally binding global treaty to end plastic pollution, including marine pollution.

This is the fifth (and final) round of talks since 2022, when the United Nations Environment Assembly adopted Resolution 5/14 agreeing to adopt a legally binding global plastics treaty by the end of 2024.

Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing environmental issues of our lifetime. The annual global production of plastic doubled from 234 million tonnes (MT) in 2000 to 460 million tonnes in 2019. Nearly half of this was produced in Asia, followed by North America (19 per cent) and Europe (15 per cent). But it’s not like we are managing it better.

Out of 400 million tonne of plastic waste is generated annually, only nine per cent of plastics are recycled. According to reports, over eight million tonnes of plastic waste end up in the oceans each year.

This poses significant threats to aquatic life, human health, and the marine ecosystem, as plastic takes anywhere from 20 to 500 years to decompose. Studies estimate that by 2050, there could be more plastic in the oceans than fish. Additionally, Plastic, which is produced from fossil fuels, also contributes 3.4 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

These scary figures reiterate the need for a globally binding treaty.

The main aim of these negotiations is to establish a global set of rules that will address plastic pollution through its life cycle, from fossil-fuel based production, and the challenges of managing plastic disposal and waste. While some progress was made across the last four Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) sessions, the talks still have not adequately addressed the need to reduce primary plastic production.