Treaty to curb plastic pollution stalled as industry pushes back
Oil and plastic producing nations and lobbyists sought more emphasis on recycling instead of production cuts.
Energy & Environment
International energy and environment policy largely focuses on a rapid transition towards renewable energy sources, with a major emphasis on solar and wind power, as governments invest in clean energy technologies and aim to significantly reduce carbon emissions, with the goal of limiting global warming. Key developments include increased trade policies around clean energy technologies, a decline in coal usage, and a growing push for a complete phaseout of fossil fuels.
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Plastic pollution treaty targets production or waste management
This is the third round of talks to develop an international legally binding deal that includes plastic waste in the ocean.
Paris summit approves drafting global plastic pollution treaty
The summit ended with support for creating a "zero draft" treaty ahead of the next negotiations at Nairobi in November.
Talks open on plastics treaty to defuse environmental 'time bomb'
About 69% of all the plastics produced, mainly through fossil fuel burning, are used just once or twice before they are thrown away. About 22% is mismanaged. Just 9% is recycled.
U.N. proposes global 'roadmap' to 80% cut in plastic pollution by 2040
The estimated annual social and environmental costs of plastic pollution range from $300 billion to $1.5 trillion.
Nations to draft plastic waste treaty
Delegates from 175 nations to the U.N. Environment Assembly voted unanimously to devise a treaty that tries to cleanse the world of plastic pollution.
Group of nations take on plastic in oceans
The U.N. General Assembly launched a new group dedicated to tackling marine plastic pollution by building support for a new global agreement.
Plastic contaminating the ocean is added to treaty on hazardous waste
A legally-binding global mechanism for managing plastic waste sends a political signal to markets and consumers.
An 'alphabet soup' of high seas rules stands in way of sustainability
Ocean areas and deep seabeds beyond national jurisdictions fall within a patchwork of rules for the global commons.