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3w ago

Nearly 180 Nations to Push for Breakthrough in Geneva Plastics Treaty Talks

The session on August 5 tests whether legal guidance linking plastic pollution with climate responsibility alongside human rights obligations can end a three-year stalemate

Plastic washed up on a beach in Barcelona. Image by Angela Compagnone via Unsplash (Public domain).
Plastic waste has been found from the bottom of the seas to the tops of mountains
Plastics

Overview

  • Delegates from nearly 180 countries will convene in Geneva starting August 5 to resume negotiations on the first legally binding global plastics treaty after talks in Busan failed to resolve core issues.
  • Negotiators remain split between an oil-producing bloc focused on waste management and recycling and a High Ambition Coalition advocating production caps and a full lifecycle approach.
  • Advisory opinions from the International Court of Justice and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights have introduced a legal framework tying state responsibility to both climate impacts and human rights in the plastics debate.
  • UNEP projects a 50% surge in plastic waste in soils and waterways by 2040, while studies document microplastics in remote environments and throughout the human body, underscoring urgent health and ecological risks.
  • Resolving disputes over financing mechanisms, technology transfer and treaty form is essential for negotiators to deliver a comprehensive agreement during this 10-day conference.