175 nations sign treaty to reduce plastic waste
- Plastic debris has reached everywhere from Arctic snow to ocean depths
The United Nations has said that 175 countries have agreed to develop an unprecedented global treaty to limit plastic waste. The resolution Wednesday followed weeks-long negotiations at the fifth session of the U.N. Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya.
The treaty proposes to tackle one of the worst environmental problems the world faces – plastic waste. According to a report in NBC News, plastic debris has been identified everywhere: from Arctic snow to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in the ocean. Microplastics have been found in the digestive tracts of a range of species, from fish to seabirds, and humans.
The U.N. said member states agreed to begin crafting a legally binding international agreement that addresses the "full lifecycle of plastic," from its production to its disposal. Inger Andersen, the executive director of the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP), called the resolution "the most significant environmental multilateral deal" since the Paris Agreement, a landmark accord signed by 196 countries in 2015 that aims to limit global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Picture credit: Westminster.gov.uk
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