Here’s how the global treaty on plastic pollution could help to solve this problem

Plastic pollution is a global problem, Contaminating terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. Microplastics — plastic particles smaller than five millimetres in size — infiltrate and circulate in the global planetary Dust cycle, Water cycle Carbon cycle.

Microplastics have infiltratedThe food and water we eat and the air we inhale. These tiny plastic particles can be used to create new products. Do not harm wildlifeThe ecological balance is being threatened by the increasing population and communities. A new paper suggests that plastics may be a threat to the ecological balance. The threat to the planet’s boundaryWe are out of the safe operating area.

After years of negotiations, 175 nations’ delegates made an agreement to meet in March. Draft the first global treaty against plastic pollutionat the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi. This resolution comes 30 year after the creation of the First global treaty to address climate changes1992: The United Nations recognized the problem of greenhouse gases in 1992 but did not include quantitative targets for global warming until then Kyoto Protocol2005

As Researchers investigate plastic pollution Working at the science/policy interface, we believe there is enough evidence regarding contamination and the effects of plastic pollution to see that the first treaty on plastic needs to include quantitative targets and binding measures that facilitate a circular economy — a system that focuses on reusing and reducing plastic waste.

There’s no time to waste

It is urgent to find a solution for plastic pollution, just as it is with climate change. Trends indicate that plastic pollution is on the rise. Plastic emissions are on the rise — plastic emitted into the environment — just as they do for greenhouse gas emissions.

We will be 2021 EstimateIn freshwater and marine ecosystems, around 30 million tonnes worth of plastic waste was released. If we keep going as normal, this number could grow more than twice by the end of the decade.

2017 was a year of calling for a global treatyTo facilitate collaboration on this global problem, and in 2020 Systemic shift in the economy of plastics — bending our current linear plastic economy (make-take-waste) into a circular economy (make-take-reuse), fundamentally changing the way we use plastic materials to minimize waste.

Our vision for an effective treaty

A circular economy must be the core of any global treaty on plastic. It should also establish global targets to reduce plastic emissions, similar to the Kyoto Protocol. Paris AgreementCarbon emissions

To maximize the chances of success, the treaty must include global mechanisms that encourage a circular economy and methods to report plastic emissions at the local level.

We envision a global agreement where all countries sign on to the treaty with a specific reduction target. Each country could agree to reduce its plastic emissions by 40% by 2030, compared with the base-year levels.

To promote a circular economy, there must be a global limit on virgin plastic production and standards for recycled content.

Each country should develop a strategy for achieving its reduction targets. There is no one-size fits all solution. Each country may have its own unique strategies to reach its target.

For example, countries may adopt container deposit schemesReduce the use of to increase recycling rates Plastic items that can be used onceReduce the use of plastic bags and straws, which are not necessary and do not fit into a circular economic model, and improve waste collection and management infrastructure.

Each year, countries must report their plastic emissions annually to an organization like the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).This treaty. Formal accounting is necessary for determining baseline emissions, setting targets for reduction and tracking progress towards those targets.

Another tool we can use from climate policy is: the Emissions inventory, which is the total amount that comes from relevant sources within cities or states.

Emissions inventories are essential to determine the effectiveness of solutions and help prioritize emissions reductions from the most significant sources in a given area. Emissions inventories can quantify progress, identify leaders and laggards, and document the success of our transition towards a circular economy.

Some countries will need aid to build new infrastructure to reduce plastic pollution. These countries require access to a global fund similar to the UNFCCC’s climate fund. To build this fund, an extended producer responsibility program — a materials management program funded by those who make plastics — can be implemented. If a fund received $0.01 per pound of virgin material produced, it would have been equivalent to $8 billion per annum2020

Let’s get to work

For plastic pollution, the phrase “there is no time to waste” is not just clever, it is spot on. The problem of plastic pollution continues to grow as we try to figure out how we can end it. We cannot wait another decade for baselines, reduction targets and thresholds that will ensure safety for our environment and human health.

We are excited about the recent resolution to create a global treaty against plastic pollution. Canada wants to be a leaderIts creation and the actions required to effect positive change.

International governments have offered an opportunity for systemic changes. Let us make the most out of it and create a global treaty that has quantitative targets and binding resolutions to reduce plastic waste and pollution.