Negotiations between 175 countries will begin tomorrow in Geneva, Switzerland, on an international and historic treaty aimed at drastically reducing plastic pollution. A legally binding treaty is expected to be ready within two weeks, marking a breakthrough comparable to the Paris Climate Agreement.

Plastic pollution is a massive environmental problem. From plastic bags in the stomachs of sea turtles to microplastics in women’s breast milk, plastic has infiltrated the planet’s most minute crevices. It has been found in the deep sea and on Mount Everest, drifting with Arctic ice, and floating as tiny particles in clouds.

Major diseases

New Lancet research shows plastic pollution contributes heavily to major diseases—including heart disease, cancer, diabetes—and disproportionately affects infants, children, and vulnerable communities.

If nothing is done, the plastic problem will only worsen. Worse still, it will take decades to hundreds of years for it to completely degrade anyway. Meanwhile, there is mounting evidence of ecological damage. And then we haven’t even mentioned the many toxic substances that are sometimes added to plastic, or the CO2 that is released during its production.

Second chance

When the world decided at a UN environmental summit in 2022 that an international treaty on plastic pollution was necessary, it was a hopeful sign. The fifth UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting, held in December 2024 in Busan, aimed to yield a legally binding global treaty. It was meant to be the final one, but countries remained far apart on the basic scope of a treaty and could agree only to postpone key decisions.

Today, little of that optimism remains, as the treaty that was supposed to be in place last year has failed to materialize. The negotiations that begin tomorrow (and will go on until August 14) are, therefore, essentially a second chance.

The meeting in Geneva is viewed as the last realistic opportunity to agree on a binding treaty covering the full plastics lifecycle—from design and production to use and disposal.

It is crucial to address pollution

Over the past twenty years, plastic production has roughly doubled and is expected to triple again by 2026, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). So something needs to be done urgently.

Unfortunately, some EU member states and many African and Latin American countries only wanted to sign a treaty that limits production, while it is also crucial to address pollution.

According to an OECD analysis, only about ten percent of the plastic produced worldwide is recycled. The majority still ends up in landfills, where the risk of being blown away or washed away is significant.

Harmful chemicals

But there is more on the negotiating table in Geneva. For example, urgent agreements must be made on the use of harmful chemicals that are often added to plastic to give it certain properties (think flame retardants or UV protection). There are some 4,200 toxic additives found in plastics—some of which are linked to cancers, hormonal disorders, and developmental harm.

It is also necessary to consider the extent to which richer countries are prepared to contribute to the improvement of waste processing in developing countries.

Final opportunity

Geneva may be the final opportunity to enact a global treaty robust enough to curb plastic pollution at its source, safeguard human health, and ensure environmental justice. It may well be the most consequential multilateral treaty since the Paris Agreement.

However, whether there is any hope for an agreement in Geneva is doubtful. In June, 95 countries called for an ‘ambitious’ and binding agreement, but it is uncertain whether their counterparts will abandon their resistance, especially now that they appear to have Trump on their side. 

The US under President Donald Trump withdrew from the Paris climate agreement. Washington under Trump also cut off financing to other countries for programs to fight climate change, and has begun implementing tariffs on countries, including allies like Canada and Mexico.

So either there will be no treaty, an inadequate treaty, or the 95 ambitious countries will sign their own limited agreement – but not under the UN flag, which wouldn’t amount to much either.

EU has become less ambitious

Another factor in this context is that attention to environmental issues has waned recently due to geopolitical rivalries, wars, and economic concerns. Unfortunately, the EU has become less ambitious in addressing climate change and pollution.

The EU has shown signs of weakening some of its climate-focused policies, such as extending the deadline for automakers to comply with new emissions targets, relaxing sustainability reporting requirements, and widening exemptions for its border carbon levy.

We are experiencing fluctuations in the climate movement. Perhaps we should wait until the tide turns again…