A fourth and penultimate round of talks on a UN treaty to combat plastic pollution will begin in the Canadian capital Ottawa on Tuesday.
Representatives from more than 170 countries were expected to attend the negotiations, which were scheduled to run until next Monday.
“This negotiation is pivotal,” said UN Environment Programme official Jyoti Mathur-Filipp.
“It is an opportunity to make significant progress for a robust agreement that will allow future generations to live in a world free of plastic pollution.”
Pressure was rising on delegates to reach a draft agreement ahead of the final round of talks in South Korea in December.
UN member states set an ambitious target in March 2022 to seek a global treaty by the end of 2024, but the previous meeting in Kenya in November 2023 concluded with little progress made.
According to UN figures, 9.2 billion tons of plastic have been produced since the 1950s – roughly equivalent to the weight of 910,000 Eiffel Towers.
The overwhelming majority was not biodegradable and eventually ends up as waste in landfill sites or in the ocean.
According to Florian Titze, an advisor with the German chapter of the global conservation organisation (WWF), most countries support ambitious and legally binding rules on curbing plastic pollution.
“This majority must prevail,” he added.
Germany would be represented in Ottawa by Environment Minister Steffi Lemke.
NAN
