New Global Treaty Aims to Boost Fight Against Plastic Waste

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The UN working group on marine litter and microplastics met last week to discuss ways to tackle rising plastic pollution. A good majority of members agreed on the need for a new agreement, which is expected to be similar to other treaties such as the Paris Climate Agreement or the Montreal protocol.

The proposal was supported by almost two-thirds of the member states, including those from the African, Baltic, Caribbean, Nordic and Pacific as well as the EU regions. However, it has not yet received support from the U.S. or the UK, who continue to oppose a global agreement to tackle plastic waste.

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Earlier in 2017, the UN Environment Assembly had noted that all of the prevailing international rules governing plastic pollution were fragmented and ineffective. All of the efforts carried out and announced so far is expected to reduce the volume of plastic waste by only 7%. Going by the current rate, the plastic flow into oceans is expected to triple by 2040, it predicted.

Of late, the plastic waste crisis has been further exacerbated by plastic pollution linked with personal protective equipment.

The group members called for a stronger global framework to address marine litter and marine plastic pollution. They noted that an international agreement is the only solution to tackle the rising plastic waste volumes.