November 18, 2024

UNEP Global Plastics Treaty – what to expect and evidence-check on plastic/microplastic pollution research

As global plastic production continues to increase, plastic and microplastic pollution is a growing issue and is related to various potential problems for land, freshwater, and marine ecosystems.

To attempt to tackle this, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) will hold the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) in late November with the aim of developing an international legally binding treaty with specific goals for reducing plastic pollution.

With over 40 days of negotiations involving nearly 200 countries, spanning 2.5 years – we are now down to the final days of the Global Plastic Treaty negotiations.

But what does the scientific evidence say in terms of…

• The Global Plastics Treaty – what is it and what does the evidence say on what should be included for success?
• The state of global plastic/microplastic pollution – what is the scale of the problem and possible solutions?
• Plastic/microplastic pollution’s implications for land, freshwater and marine ecology?
• Is there strong evidence for the potential human health impacts of microplastics?

Journalists came to this SMC briefing to hear from a panel of top scientists working on various aspects of the plastics/microplastics field, who can speak to these points and more.

Speakers included:

Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS, Director of the Marine Institute at the University of Plymouth

Prof Steve Fletcher, Director of the Revolution Plastics Institute at the University of Portsmouth

Prof Pennie Lindeque, Head of Science for Marine Ecology and Biodiversity at Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML)

Prof Tamara Galloway, Professor of Ecotoxicology, University of Exeter

Dr Richard Cross, Pollution Scientist, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)