The petrochemical industry’s plan to expand the production of plastics and petrochemicals is an existential threat to our health and our climate. Plastic is 99% oil and is responsible for more than 12% of all oil demand, a number set to double by 2050 as the fossil fuel industry plots for new areas of growth. If we want to protect our health and climate, we need to turn off the tap of endless plastic production.
Fortunately, there is still time to secure an ambitious Global Plastics Treaty that includes limits on plastic and petrochemical production and standards to address health and justice concerns. A strong Global Plastics Treaty would represent a rare and new opportunity to clean up our oceans, protect human health, head off the unsustainable growth of greenhouse gas emissions, and envision sustainable alternative livelihoods for the plastics workforce.
At the negotiations in Busan in December, most countries agreed on crucial aspects of a Treaty and aligned on the need for a strong treaty. This strong negotiating position is the result of an immense effort by civil society groups who have broadened the framework of the negotiations away from one focused primarily on issues like waste management. Instead, Treaty delegates now understand that plastics are poisoning people and the planet, and now is the time to end this existential threat. This progress occurred despite the hundreds of lobbyists from chemical and fossil fuel industries that far outnumbered any individual country’s delegation and who launched large-scale disinformation campaigns.
The upcoming meeting in Geneva on August 5-14 is a critical opportunity for civil society to hold political leaders accountable and build global momentum for a meaningful treaty. The global civil society movement stands ready to block the fossil fuel industry’s efforts to derail the treaty and to support an international agreement that protects people’s health and the planet.
