https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01089-2 Skip to main content Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript. Advertisement Advertisement Nature * View all journals * Search * Log in * Explore content * About the journal * Publish with us * Subscribe * Sign up for alerts * RSS feed 1. nature 2. editorials 3. article UN plastics treaty: don't let lobbyists drown out researchers Download PDF * EDITORIAL * 17 April 2024 UN plastics treaty: don't let lobbyists drown out researchers Tackling plastic pollution needs scientists to be in the negotiating room at upcoming talks. * Twitter * Facebook * Email You have full access to this article via your institution. Download PDF Download PDF A gull picks up a piece of trash that washed up along the bank of the San Gabriel River just a few hundred yards from the Pacific Ocean in Seal Beach. Every year, 6 million tonnes of plastic waste ends up in the rivers and on coastlines.Credit: Mark Rightmire/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register/Getty The fourth round of negotiations on a global treaty to end plastic pollution starts next week. The good news is that nations meeting in Ottawa have given themselves until the end of this year to produce a legally binding agreement. The bad news is that countries are further apart than they were last year. A 31-page draft of the text has ballooned to nearly 100 pages, which contain a wide spectrum of positions. Countries have not even decided on how to reach a final agreement on the draft text. At this stage, the talks could completely fall apart, or the end result might be too weak or too narrow to be meaningful. The negotiations are being organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). As is customary, scientists are meant to be able to observe the talks and also advise those attending the discussions. But researchers have told Nature that they are often not in the negotiation room. Worryingly, fossil-fuel-producing countries and industries are lobbying to narrow the treaty's focus on rules and targets for recycling plastics. Such targets are important, but a lot more is needed to end plastics pollution. All parties need to get a handle on the colossal scale of the problem, and they must honour their promise to place science at the heart of the talks. [d41586-024] We must protect the global plastics treaty from corporate interference Plastics are used extensively because of their highly useful properties -- they can be moulded into many shapes and are lightweight, hygienic, cheap to make and good insulators. For these reasons, plastics production is increasing sharply. In the past two decades it has doubled to more than 450 million tonnes annually. But we now know that, because of their huge downsides, their use needs to be limited. Around 25% of all plastics manufactured end up polluting the environment. Of this, 6 million tonnes end up in rivers and along coastlines annually. These materials degrade into micro- and nanosized particles that have been found almost everywhere, from Arctic ice to Antarctic snow -- and even in the stomachs of unborn babies. The greenhouse-gas emissions associated with plastics amount to almost 1.8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide -- 3% of the global total in 2019. Many of the chemicals, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), that are used to make and treat plastics are persisting in the environment and are proving toxic to it. Alternatives must be found and serious steps need to be taken to tackle waste. If there are no suitable alternatives, nations must invest in the infrastructure necessary to recycle the materials and ensure that manufacturers take responsibility for the full life cycle of their products. And they must ensure an equitable and just transition that protects people whose jobs depend on the industry. But we're not seeing countries take such steps in the lead-up to the negotiations in Ottawa. Instead, discussions have been dominated by persistent lobbying by chemical-industry associations and by some fossil-fuel-producing nations, notably Iran, Russia and Saudi Arabia. They want to focus, for instance, on recycling and on pollution-limiting rules, rather than on eliminating plastics altogether, partly to allow production to continue on current scales. Moreover, researchers are being sidelined when there is so much they could help to resolve. They include, for example, members of an international network, the Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty, who provide scientific advice to low-income countries that might not have their own research expertise. Much is known about the toxicity, biology and chemistry of plastics pollution, and the economics of the industry. But there are gaps, especially around how various aspects of the plastic production and disposal streams affect people and their livelihoods. For example, how would a ban on plastics affect waste collectors, who rely on discarded products to earn a living? Research is needed to resolve these issues and to make the treaty work. [d41586-024] Plastic waste is everywhere and countries must be held accountable for reducing it The world's environment ministers proposed strengthening research-based policy advice on plastic pollution. An anticipated mechanism called a Science-Policy Interface for Plastic Pollution has not been established yet, although negotiations for setting it up are continuing. Furthermore, scientists have been unable to observe the talks, which they should be allowed to do under UN rules. But researchers need to be able to participate meaningfully in the debate. Many scientists were unable to get accreditation for the first three negotiation rounds. This is because publicly funded universities had been included in the 'government' category, which meant that their researchers would have had to be accredited as representing their governments, which they don't. In January, UNEP clarified that those at public universities that are autonomous from their governments can apply. But it is not yet clear whether this change has made it easier for academic researchers to get accreditation. Successfully navigating treaty talks requires finding common ground despite nations' competing priorities. One of the strengths of the present system of organizing talks is that all those involved agree that discussions will be guided by independent scientific knowledge. This is a foundational principle. Moreover, science has brought nations together to agree on a treaty -- its role cannot be diminished now. Finding solutions to the plastic problem has to be a multisectoral, multinational and genuinely collegial effort. No amount of recycling is going to stop the deluge of plastic coming into the economy. Negotiators need to accept that the only way that better waste management and recycling will work is if less plastic is made in the first place. Nature 628, 474 (2024) doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-01089-2 Reprints and permissions Related Articles * [d41586-024] We must protect the global plastics treaty from corporate interference * [d41586-024] Plastic waste is everywhere and countries must be held accountable for reducing it * [d41586-024] Landmark treaty on plastic pollution must put scientific evidence front and centre * [d41586-024] Three ways to solve the plastics pollution crisis * [d41586-024] Chemistry can make plastics sustainable - but isn't the whole solution Subjects * Green chemistry * Environmental sciences * Policy Latest on: Green chemistry How synthetic biologists are building better biofactories How synthetic biologists are building better biofactories Technology Feature 01 APR 24 A view of wind turbines drives down home values -- but only briefly A view of wind turbines drives down home values -- but only briefly Research Highlight 20 MAR 24 How science is helping farmers to find a balance between agriculture and solar farms How science is helping farmers to find a balance between agriculture and solar farms Spotlight 19 FEB 24 Environmental sciences Environmental drivers of increased ecosystem respiration in a warming tundra Environmental drivers of increased ecosystem respiration in a warming tundra Article 17 APR 24 It's time to talk about the hidden human cost of the green transition Correspondence 16 APR 24 The world needs a COP for water like the one for climate change Correspondence 16 APR 24 Policy We must protect the global plastics treaty from corporate interference We must protect the global plastics treaty from corporate interference World View 17 APR 24 Smoking bans are coming: what does the evidence say? Smoking bans are coming: what does the evidence say? News 17 APR 24 Canadian science gets biggest boost to PhD and postdoc pay in 20 years Canadian science gets biggest boost to PhD and postdoc pay in 20 years News 17 APR 24 Nature Careers Jobs * Postdoctoral Position We are seeking highly motivated and skilled candidates for postdoctoral fellow positions Boston, Massachusetts (US) Boston Children's Hospital (BCH) [] * Qiushi Chair Professor Distinguished scholars with notable achievements and extensive international influence. Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China Zhejiang University [] * ZJU 100 Young Professor Promising young scholars who can independently establish and develop a research direction. Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China Zhejiang University [] * Head of the Thrust of Robotics and Autonomous Systems Reporting to the Dean of Systems Hub, the Head of ROAS is an executive assuming overall responsibility for the academic, student, human resources... Guangzhou, Guangdong, China The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) [] * Head of Biology, Bio-island Head of Biology to lead the discovery biology group. Guangzhou, Guangdong, China BeiGene Ltd. [] You have full access to this article via your institution. Download PDF Download PDF Related Articles * [d41586-024] We must protect the global plastics treaty from corporate interference * [d41586-024] Plastic waste is everywhere and countries must be held accountable for reducing it * [d41586-024] Landmark treaty on plastic pollution must put scientific evidence front and centre * [d41586-024] Three ways to solve the plastics pollution crisis * [d41586-024] Chemistry can make plastics sustainable - but isn't the whole solution Subjects * Green chemistry * Environmental sciences * Policy Advertisement Sign up to Nature Briefing An essential round-up of science news, opinion and analysis, delivered to your inbox every weekday. Email address [ ] [ ] Yes! Sign me up to receive the daily Nature Briefing email. I agree my information will be processed in accordance with the Nature and Springer Nature Limited Privacy Policy. Sign up * Close Nature Briefing Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter -- what matters in science, free to your inbox daily. Email address [ ] Sign up [ ] I agree my information will be processed in accordance with the Nature and Springer Nature Limited Privacy Policy. Close Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing Explore content * Research articles * News * Opinion * Research Analysis * Careers * Books & Culture * Podcasts * Videos * Current issue * Browse issues * Collections * Subjects * Follow us on Facebook * Follow us on Twitter * Subscribe * Sign up for alerts * RSS feed About the journal * Journal Staff * About the Editors * Journal Information * Our publishing models * Editorial Values Statement * Journal Metrics * Awards * Contact * Editorial policies * History of Nature * Send a news tip Publish with us * For Authors * For Referees * Language editing services * Submit manuscript Search Search articles by subject, keyword or author [ ] Show results from [All journals] Search Advanced search Quick links * Explore articles by subject * Find a job * Guide to authors * Editorial policies Nature (Nature) ISSN 1476-4687 (online) ISSN 0028-0836 (print) nature.com sitemap About Nature Portfolio * About us * Press releases * Press office * Contact us Discover content * Journals A-Z * Articles by subject * protocols.io * Nature Index Publishing policies * Nature portfolio policies * Open access Author & Researcher services * Reprints & permissions * Research data * Language editing * Scientific editing * Nature Masterclasses * Research Solutions Libraries & institutions * Librarian service & tools * Librarian portal * Open research * Recommend to library Advertising & partnerships * Advertising * Partnerships & Services * Media kits * Branded content Professional development * Nature Careers * Nature Conferences Regional websites * Nature Africa * Nature China * Nature India * Nature Italy * Nature Japan * Nature Middle East * Privacy Policy * Use of cookies * Your privacy choices/Manage cookies * Legal notice * Accessibility statement * Terms & Conditions * Your US state privacy rights Springer Nature (c) 2024 Springer Nature Limited