Global leaders will gather in Canada's capital this week to discuss progress in drafting a first-ever global treaty to rein in soaring plastic pollution by the end of the year.
The hoped-for treaty, due to be agreed at the end of this year, could be the most significant deal relating to climate-warming emissions and environmental protection since the 2015 Paris Agreement, which got 195 parties to agree to keep global temperatures from rising beyond 1.5 degrees Celcius.
At the U.N. Environment Assembly in 2022, nations agreed to develop a legally binding agreement by the end of 2024 to address the world's plastic pollution crisis. The treaty is set to address plastics through their entire lifecycle - from when they are produced, to how they are used and disposed of. But negotiators have a tough task in Ottawa, Ontario, with countries divided over how ambitious the treaty should be.
