International plastic treaty deadlocked by petrostates

Another round of international negotiations to curb plastic pollution ended in deadlock on Friday 15 August, as delegates from more than 170 countries concluded the sixth session of the UN plastics treaty talks in Geneva. Despite ten days of deliberations, no agreement was reached – echoing the failure of the previous round in South Korea in late 2024. During the ten days of UN talks in Switzerland a small bloc of petrochemical producing countries reportedly obstructed proposals to limit virgin-plastic production and enforce stricter controls on chemicals of concern. Several parties voiced their disappointment and frustration after another international meeting ended without significant progress. (Reuters)

Why does this matter? Efforts to delay or derail binding limits on plastic production benefit a narrow set of interests – while enabling the continued flow of plastics into ecosystems worldwide. The Danish environment minister, Magnus Heunicke reported that it was “tragic and deeply disappointing to see some countries trying to block an agreement”. It is unsurprising that plastic production is seen as a lifeline for a precarious energy industry in which renewable sources are being adopted more widely. Failing to curb plastic production goes hand in hand with continued fossil fuel use. Around 98% of single-use plastic produced today uses petrochemicals. Approximately 6% of global oil is used to manufacture plastics, equating to nine million barrels per day. The global plastics deliberations are set to resume at an unspecified future date.

Currently, over 400 million mt of plastic is produced annually and could triple by 2060. By 2050 there could be more plastic than fish in the oceans. A recent study published in Nature suggests that the oceans contain significantly more plastic than previously measured. Invisible to the - eye, nanoplastics – particles 100 times thinner than the width of a human hair – are now believed to compose 27 million mt of plastic in the North Atlantic Ocean alone. Nanoplastics are the most pervasive form of marine plastic pollution.  

By contrast, earlier figures, excluding nanoplastics, suggested around three million mt of floating plastic. Researchers collected samples from varying depths and found that nanoplastic concentrations were highest near the surface at 18 mg per sq m. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was the most abundant polymer. Given that nanoplastics can penetrate biological membranes more readily than larger fragments, scientists warn of major risks to marine ecosystems and human health, calling for urgent limits on plastic production.

Nanoplastics enter the ocean through multiple channels. For example, sunlight, ocean turbulence and temperature fluctuations cause larger plastic items to degrade into smaller particles, eventually reaching the nanoscale. Nanoplastics and larger microplastics – less than 5 mm across – result from industrial processes, washing synthetic fibres and tyre abrasion, among others. They can also flow in from rivers or descend from the air. An estimated 14 million mt of plastic leak into the ocean annually, a figure that continues to rise. It is critical that measures are taken urgently to address the proliferation of plastic pollution.

The ingestion of micro- and nanoplastics poses  potential danger to human health. Plastic particles can be absorbed through the skin, inhaled or ingested. Advances in detection technology makes this issue increasingly difficult to ignore. Plastics are abundant in the water many of us drink, researchers from Columbia University found an average of 240,000 tiny pieces of plastic in a litre of bottled water, 90% of these fragments were nanoplastics. A 2023 study found for the first time tiny plastic particles accumulating in the fatty plaques of human arteries. Scientists concluded that certain micro- andnanoplastics may damage heart tissue and cause abnormal heart rate. Micro plastics have also been found in brain samples, breast milk and bone marrow.  While this remains a new field of study, evidence is rapidly accumulating to paint a sobering image of the health risks posed to humans, animals and ecosystems.

A workable plastics treaty may remain distant, but the science is unequivocal – production reduction is the only path to halting the tide of pollution. Recycling alone cannot solve a crisis rooted in unchecked virgin plastic output and fossil fuel dependency. Without binding international limits, plastic will continue to infiltrate oceans, food chains and even human bodies. The longer negotiations stall, the higher the environmental and health costs. If states cannot agree collectively, leadership will need to come from progressive coalitions, industries and civil society to drive momentum before the damage becomes irreversible.