Scientists have urged governments to act immediately on plastic pollution, as waiting for a binding Global Plastics Treaty could mean years of damaging delay even as plastic waste continues to accelerate worldwide.
Antaya March, Director of the Global Plastics Policy Centre at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom, has argued in a new Nature Reviews: Earth & Environment article, that although international negotiations on a Global Plastics Treaty remain deadlocked, countries already have the tools they need to tackle the crisis now and must use them.
The latest round of negotiations under the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) ended without agreement in August.
Meanwhile, plastic pollution continues to increase across land, rivers and oceans, with growing impacts on ecosystems, economies and human health.
“The treaty delay must not become an excuse for inaction,” said March. “Plastic pollution is growing every year. Governments can’t afford to wait for perfect global consensus when practical solutions already exist and are working in many countries.”
According to the article, governments can make immediate progress through comprehensive national plastics strategies, even in the absence of a global agreement. Well-designed national plans can align ministries, coordinate stakeholders, unlock finance and prepare countries for future treaty implementation.
Plastics should be treated not only as an environmental issue, but as a growing public health concern, according to the authors. “A growing body of evidence links plastics and associated chemicals to cancer, respiratory disease and endocrine disruption, with potential global health-related economic costs estimated at more than US$1.5 trillion per year,” a statement by the University noted.
By framing plastics as a health issue, public understanding and political pressure for faster, more ambitious regulation can be strengthened according to the authors.
“This moment should be seen as an opportunity, not a pause. Governments and communities can show leadership now through national planning, ambitious policies and local action and be ready when a global treaty finally comes,” co-author, Sam Winton, from the Revolution Plastics Institute at the University of Portsmouth.
Plastic pollution cannot wait for the slow-moving negotiations, and immediate action at national, regional and local levels is essential to curb the crisis, the article concluded.
