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No one can contest the fact that plastic and microplastics have been found in Arctic sea ice, the bellies of whales, Earth’s atmosphere and oceans, as well as human blood vessels and digestive systems. That is why governments have been for years under increasing pressure to unite in action against this global threat but to no avail.
A recent study by The Lancet, a highly respected British medical journal, warned that plastic pollution is a “grave, growing, and under-recognized danger” to human health that is causing disease and death from infancy to old age, and costing the world at least $1.5 trillion a year in health-related economic losses.
The report comparing plastic to air pollution and lead said that the impact on health could be mitigated by laws and policies. But talks this week in Geneva on a global treaty on plastics may well fail — as have the previous five meetings convened by the UN — for lack of consensus between over 180 nations on whether to endorse a pact to limit production and phase out harmful chemicals from the manufacturing process, or to focus only on recycling and treating waste, better recycling, and future technological breakthroughs to decompose plastic harmlessly.
One would hope that negotiators would face up to those deep divisions and try to mediate the health and ecological hazards that result from plastic use and disposal worldwide. UN Environment Programme Executive Director Inger Andersen is optimistic that “it is possible to leave Geneva with a treaty” despite the diverging interests of nations, industries, and those trying to protect the environment and human health.
But in an international system under strain in multiple areas, from wars to environmental and tech issues, it is highly unlikely that delegates will be able to bridge the gap to reach an agreement. Even if they do, realization of a treaty faces many obstacles and hindrances — as witnessed in other situations, from feeding the hungry in Gaza to stopping the war in Ukraine.
Despite that, the stakes are high, and if nothing is done, global plastic consumption could triple by 2060, according to OECD projections. Meanwhile, plastic waste in soils and waterways is expected to increase by 50 percent by 2040, according to the UNEP, which is overseeing the talks in Geneva.

Many initiatives are offering hope for a better future.

Mohamed Chebaro

About 460 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally each year, half of which is single-use. And less than 10 percent of plastic waste is recycled. In rich or poor countries, the harm of plastic is still largely unknown, but evidence is mounting that burning plastic in dumps and open fires is a major problem for the planet. A study published last year in the journal Nature and based on research by a team from UK Leeds University identified India as the world’s largest emitter of macroplastic pollution.
The Leeds researchers created a detailed global inventory of plastic pollution by using AI to assist in modeling waste management in more than 50,000 municipalities. They estimated at least 52 million tonnes of plastic waste entered the environment in 2020, 43 percent as unburned litter, and the remainder through open fires lit in homes, streets, or dumpsites.
Improperly burning garbage and leaving plastic to smolder does not make it “disappear,” but spreads smaller pieces around the environment, worsening air quality and exposing people living nearby to harmful additives, the research found.
Against the doomsday backdrop above, many initiatives are offering hope for a better future — from planting trees and rewilding to the commendable work of some municipalities seeking to recycle with zero waste.
Yet, in an increasingly fractured international order, the push to establish pacts limiting plastic pollution could be challenging. Governments have been regularly falling short of climate pledges as funding and a willingness to protect the environment give way to geostrategic priorities. Conflicts, displacement, and poverty eradication are also proving intractable problems.
Plastic, like many other life hazards, calls for a global approach to tame its harms, and unless strained ties between the superpowers ease, discord will obstruct efforts not only to limit pollution, reduce plastic use, and combat climate change, but also to ensure a secure, sustainable future for all.

• Mohamed Chebaro is a British-Lebanese journalist with more than 25 years’ experience covering war, terrorism, defense, current affairs and diplomacy.