Global Plastic Pollution Negotiations Hit Impasse

The United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution convened in Geneva to draft a legally binding global treaty, but negotiations collapsed once again due to opposition from oil-producing nations like the United States and Saudi Arabia against restricting plastic production. UN Environment Programme Executive Director Inger Andersen warned that without action, global plastic output could triple by 2060, causing irreversible damage to marine ecosystems and human health.