Efforts to secure a historic global agreement to end plastic pollution have collapsed once again, after UN-led negotiations ended in deadlock.
This was the sixth round of talks since 2022, held in Geneva, with hopes of creating a legally binding treaty to tackle the plastic crisis. Despite extending discussions late into the night, deep divisions between countries proved impossible to bridge.
On one side, about 100 nations — including the UK, EU members, and island states — demanded limits on plastic production and stricter global design standards to make recycling easier. On the other, oil-producing nations like Saudi Arabia and Russia argued for focusing on better recycling infrastructure instead of production cuts, citing plastics’ economic value.
Scientists warn that current recycling rates are only around 10%, making it impossible to solve the crisis without reducing plastic at its source. Microplastics have already been detected in soil, rivers, air, and even human organs, raising alarm over long-term health and environmental damage.
Plastic production has skyrocketed from 2 million tonnes in 1950 to 475 million tonnes in 2022 — and is still rising. Without decisive action, experts fear the pollution problem will spiral further out of control.
Environmental groups like Greenpeace accuse oil states of blocking meaningful progress to protect their fossil fuel interests, calling the failure “a wake-up call for the world.” Talks will now be postponed to an unspecified future date.
Do you think the world can win the fight against plastic pollution without cutting production — or is recycling alone not enough?