International Plastics Treaty

April 18, 2024

International Delegates Meet in Ottawa to Advance Global Plastics Treaty

Ottawa will be the site of Round 4 of international negotiations facilitated by the United Nations Environmental Programme. Participants in the treaty negotiations are aiming for the end of the year to have a legally-binding agreement in place that would addressing the growing problem of plastics. 

All stages of plastic are harmful to humans and the environment from 1) extraction of fossil fuels, 2) production of plastics, 3) distribution and use of plastics, 4) disposal of plastics, and 5) long-term disintegration of plastics. 

Plastics have been sold to us as a modern convenience. Indeed they are. But the human and environmental costs to us are enormous. We are gaining more and more information about the immensity of the problem and its impacts on the environment and human health every day. An international treaty along with strong national legislation that begins to restrict plastic production, use and waste is critical. Plastics production is on target to account for 20% of climate changing emissions.

Knowing all of this, we are astonished that plastics, chemical, and retail industries continue to peddle plastics. This is reminiscent of tobacco, oxycotin, and fossil fuel development, production and sales. The purveyors of these products knew about the dangers to human health but continue to produce and sell and get crazy rich of of the misery they created. Today, corporations are banding together to push recycling as the genie in the bottle to solve our plastic problems. It's a lie. Plastic recycling does not work and when it is done, it is expensive, energy intensive and inefficient. 

Let's support international treaties, national, state, and municipal legislation that begin to wind down our over-reliance on plastics.




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