Postcards: Indonesia fishing village grapples with piles of trash brought in by tides
WILLY KURNIAWAN, of Reuters, reports from the fishing village of Teluk…
EU lawmakers consider stronger plastic pollution law after spill hits Spain
Brussels, BelgiumReuters Some European Union lawmakers are pushing to strengthen a planned law on microplastics pollution, after millions of plastic pellets washed up on the coast of Spain’s north-western Galicia region. Tiny plastic pellets are used to manufacture everyday items from water bottles to shopping bags. They are also an environmental menace, adding to the […]
In UN talks for a global plastic treaty, delegates to face off over production limits
Reuters As the world’s nations enter another round of talks this week on creating a first-ever treaty to contain plastic pollution, officials are bracing for tough negotiations over whether to limit the amount of plastic being produced or just to focus on the management of waste. Working with a document called a “zero draft” that […]
Plastic levels in Swiss-French lake as high as world’s oceans
Founex, SwitzerlandReuters Lake Geneva, nestled at the foot of the Alps, has long been considered as a near-pristine body of water, but new research has found that its plastic pollution levels are as high as those in the oceans. Oceaneye, a Geneva-based non-profit that has for more than a decade been scouring the seas to […]
After rough start, UN plastic treaty talks end with mandate for first draft
Reuters After a rocky start to a week of negotiations, around 170 countries agreed to develop a first draft by November of what could become the first global treaty to curb plastic pollution by the end of next year. Country delegations, NGOs and industry representatives gathered in Paris this week for the second round of […]
Brazilian researchers find “terrifying” plastic rocks on remote island
Trindade Island, Brazil Reuters The geology of Brazil’s volcanic Trindade Island has fascinated scientists for years, but the discovery of rocks made from plastic debris in this remote turtle refuge is sparking alarm. Melted plastic has become intertwined with rocks on the island, located 1,140 kilometres from the south-eastern state of Espirito Santo, which researchers […]
Countries split on plastics treaty focus as UN talks close
Washington DC, USReuters The first round of negotiations on a global plastics treaty ended on Friday with agreement to end plastic pollution but a split on whether goals and efforts should be global and mandatory, or voluntary and country-led. More than 2,000 delegates from 160 countries, meeting in Uruguay in the first of a planned […]
US seeks allies as split emerges over global plastics pollution treaty
Washington DC, US Reuters The United States is seeking to form a coalition of countries to drive negotiations on a global plastic pollution treaty, weeks after a similar group involving several other G7 nations was launched, according to a document seen by Reuters. The move underlines its desire to keep the treaty’s focus on the […]
Essay: Four reasons to be hopeful about the planned global plastics treaty
As negotiations kick off, ELIZABETH KIRK, a professor of international environmental law, looks – in an article published on The Conversation – at what the world-first treaty for ending plastic pollution will actually mean…
Explainer – Can the tide of plastic pollution be turned?
Thomson Reuters Foundation From drinks bottles to straws and cotton buds, the amount of plastic waste that flows into the world’s oceans and marine areas is expected to nearly triple by 2040, adding up to 37 million tonnes each year, the UN Environment Programme says. Just nine per cent of all the plastic waste ever […]