More than 100 nations convening in Nairobi this week are expected to take the first steps toward establishing a historic global treaty to tackle the plastic crisis afflicting the planet. Plastic has been found in Arctic Sea ice, the bellies of whales and Earth’s atmosphere, and governments have been under increasing pressure to unite in action against the global scourge. Negotiators are hammering out the framework for a legally binding plastic treaty that diplomats say is the most ambitious environmental pact since the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. World leaders and environment ministers meeting in-person and virtually are expected to kickstart the treaty process by appointing a negotiating committee to finalise the policy details over the next two years. But more than 50 countries, along with scientists, businesses and environment groups, have publicly called for tough new regulations on industry to curb the torrent of plastic entering the environment. This could include caps on the production of new plastic — which is made from oil and gas and forecast to double by 2040 — redesigning products to make recycling easier or less harmful, and phasing out single-use items.
SOURCE: AFRICA NEWS
