Countries fail to reach agreement in UN plastic talks
Busan, South Korea Reuters Countries negotiating a global treaty to curb plastic pollution failed to reach agreement on Monday, with more than 100 nations wanting to cap production while a handful of oil-producers were prepared only to target plastic waste. The fifth UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) meeting intended to yield a legally binding global […]
Essay: A tax on new plastic would slash waste – if built into the global treaty on plastics
In an article first published on The Conversation, AMELIA LEAVESLEY, a research fellow in urban sustainability at The University of Melbourne, looks at the impacts of a global tax on new plastic…
South Korea’s mountain of plastic waste shows limits of recycling
Seoul, South Korea Reuters South Korea has won international praise for its recycling efforts, but as it prepares to host talks for a global plastic waste agreement, experts say the country’s approach highlights its limits. When the talks known as INC-5 kick off in Busan next week, debate is expected to centre around whether a […]
A Sustainable Life: Why plastic bottles now have their caps attached
RANDA LINDSEY KACHEF, in an article first published on The Conversation, looks at why the EU targeted plastic bottle caps in a recent directive…
Health Insight: How to buy a good pair of sunglasses
JACOBO GARCIA QUEIRUGA and VERÓNICA NOYA PRADIN, in an article first published on The Conversation, look at what to consider when buying new sunglasses…
Plastic levels in Swiss-French lake as high as world’s oceans
Founex, Switzerland Reuters Lake Geneva, nestled at the foot of the Alps, has long been considered as a near-pristine body of water, but new research has found that its plastic pollution levels are as high as those in the oceans. Oceaneye, a Geneva-based non-profit that has for more than a decade been scouring the seas […]
Essay: Plastic recycling is failing – here’s how the world must respond
CRESSIDA BOWYER, KEIRON ROBERTS and STEPHANIE NORTHEN – in an article first published on The Conversation – look at why new solutions are needed to deal with our plastic waste…
Plastic entering oceans could nearly triple by 2040 if left unchecked – research
Singapore Reuters Plastics entering the world’s oceans have surged by an “unprecedented” amount since 2005 and could nearly triple by 2040 if no further action is taken, according to research published on Wednesday. An estimated 171 trillion plastic particles were afloat in the oceans by 2019, according to peer-reviewed research led by the 5 Gyres […]
Countries split on plastics treaty focus as UN talks close
Washington DC, US Reuters The first round of negotiations on a global plastics treaty ended on Friday with agreement to end plastic pollution but a split on whether goals and efforts should be global and mandatory, or voluntary and country-led. More than 2,000 delegates from 160 countries, meeting in Uruguay in the first of a […]
Explainer – Can the tide of plastic pollution be turned?
Thomson Reuters Foundation From drinks bottles to straws and cotton buds, the amount of plastic waste that flows into the world’s oceans and marine areas is expected to nearly triple by 2040, adding up to 37 million tonnes each year, the UN Environment Programme says. Just nine per cent of all the plastic waste ever […]