More than 11 million metric tons of plastic are flowing into the ocean each year. Once it is there, it’s almost impossible to remove. And it continues to break down. Macroplastics become microplastics, and microplastics become nanoplastics.
It’s not good for people, or the planet.
It’s been estimated that 90% of all seabirds ingest plastic at some point in their lives. Starting as chicks.
More than half the world’s marine mammal species, including dolphins, whales and seals, have been found to have eaten plastic. As have all species of sea turtles.
Not all of them die, but all of them suffer from it.
It’s not just the plastic they eat. Entanglement, smothering and slow poisoning from leached chemicals, all cause sickness, weakness, injury, and death.
Plastic in the ocean is pervasive and increasing.
The time has come to end it.
It needs a global solution.
The fourth round of UN Global Plastic Pollution Treaty concluded on 30 April.
While countries made progress in Canada with constructive discussions on what the Treaty will actually do, but the big decisions still remain: will we get the strong treaty with common global rules that most of the world is calling for, or will we end up with a voluntary watered-down agreement led by least common denominator values?
With significant work still needed before negotiators head back into the final meeting - to be held in Busan, Republic of Korea this November - governments need to explore every effort to advance progress. Formal intersessional work, country-led technical meetings, ministerial conferences and informal consultations will all be necessary to ensure negotiators come to the final meeting in Busan prepared to negotiate and finalise the Treaty.
In March 2022, UN Member States agreed on a mandate to negotiate a legally binding global treaty to end plastic pollution.
This year, the framework is being negotiated throughout a series of meetings across the globe, with the aim of having it in place by the end of 2024.
The draft treaty released in September 2023 is the first time countries have put to paper what the global plastics treaty should look like and comes at the midway point of negotiations – it lands ahead of the third round of talks out of a total of five.
Although in the minority, there are some powerful opponents of global rules and standards, potentially weakening obligations on countries to take action.
The New Zealand Government needs to commit to helping deliver a truly ambitious treaty with effective global measures.
Despite the exponential growth in voluntary initiatives and national regulations to tackle plastic pollution, there is no sign that leakage rates are slowing. In order to effectively deal with the plastic crisis, the world needs common rules and standards that address plastic throughout its entire lifecycle.
What does an effective Global Plastics Treaty need to contain?
Read WWF’s reports "Towards a Treaty to End Plastic Pollution: Global rules to solve a global problem"; "Putting an end to plastic pollution: WWF's call to urgently regulate high-risk plastic products"; and "Who pays for plastic pollution? Enabling global equity in the plastic value chain"