{"id":160822,"date":"2025-08-05T22:40:29","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T22:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/in-search-of-a-treaty-to-curb-plastic-proliferation-its-production-has-multiplied-by-200-since-1950\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T22:40:29","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T22:40:29","slug":"in-search-of-a-treaty-to-curb-plastic-proliferation-its-production-has-multiplied-by-200-since-1950","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/in-search-of-a-treaty-to-curb-plastic-proliferation-its-production-has-multiplied-by-200-since-1950\/","title":{"rendered":"In search of a treaty to curb plastic proliferation: its production has multiplied by 200 since 1950."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Carlos FresnedaCorresponsal Par\u00eds<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Actualizado <\/span>

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The \u00a0production of plastics\u00a0 has skyrocketed by 200 times since 1950, posing a \u00a0serious risk\u00a0 to both health and the environment. The so-called “plastic crisis” is resulting in estimated damages of \u20ac1.3 trillion to the health of millions across diverse age groups, stemming from air and water pollution as well as exposure to harmful chemicals, according to a report recently published by \u00a0The Lancet\u00a0. An alarming \u00a098%\u00a0 of plastics originate from fossil fuels in production processes that generate \u00a02 billion tons\u00a0 of CO2 emissions annually\u2014more than the total emissions of Russia.<\/p>\n

Every year, more than \u00a011 million tons\u00a0 of plastic end up in the oceans. Less than \u00a010%\u00a0 is ever recycled, and the vast majority consists of single-use items, primarily \u00a0bottles\u00a0 and \u00a0food packaging\u00a0. If current trends continue, production is forecasted to triple by \u00a02060\u00a0, further exacerbating the prevalence of materials that can take \u00a0hundreds of years\u00a0 to biodegrade.<\/p>\n

Delegations from \u00a0170 countries\u00a0 are gathering in \u00a0Geneva\u00a0, under the auspices of the \u00a0United Nations\u00a0, aiming to finalize a global treaty addressing the \u00a0plastic crisis\u00a0. However, previous attempts\u2014five in total\u2014have ended in “black smoke,” largely due to disagreements over reducing production levels.<\/p>\n

Similar to climate summits, fossil fuel-producing countries such as \u00a0Saudi Arabia\u00a0, \u00a0Russia\u00a0, and \u00a0Iran\u00a0 continue to oppose any move to \u00a0cap\u00a0 production and insist that focus should be placed on waste management and recycling. The presence of over \u00a0200 lobbyists\u00a0 from chemical and fossil fuel industries complicates the discussions, reminiscent of disputes that arose at last year’s summit in \u00a0Busan, South Korea\u00a0.<\/p>\n

Adding to the objections posed by China regarding the establishment of a \u00a0production cap\u00a0, the \u00a0Trump administration\u00a0 has also lowered expectations, advocating for a “lower ambition” deal that would avoid production cuts altogether. Traditional North-South tensions will undoubtedly increase the drama surrounding the \u00a0Geneva conference\u00a0.<\/p>\n

A Binding Consensus Text<\/h2>\n

The negotiations are set to continue until August 14<\/strong>, when a binding text is expected to be agreed upon by consensus. Despite a political climate not particularly favorable to multilateralism, there remains the potential for the agreement to derail once again, leading to further delays.<\/p>\n

Environmental organizations caution that a treaty failing to impose a production cap will be interpreted as a \u00a0step backward\u00a0. “Uncontrolled plastic production is a death sentence,” warns \u00a0Graham Forbes\u00a0, head of Greenpeace’s delegation. \u00a0“The only way to tackle the problem is to stop producing so much plastic.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Scientists are poised to raise their voices in Geneva as well, collaborating under the leadership of \u00a0Richard Thompson\u00a0, a biologist from the University of Plymouth, who is credited with the concept of microplastics and their impact on marine life and the food chain.<\/p>\n

“It is evident that plastic pollution reaches from the poles to the equator,” Thompson stated to \u00a0The Guardian\u00a0. \u00a0“We find microplastics in the deepest ocean areas and even the highest mountains.”\u00a0 Humans are exposed from the womb throughout their lives, reinforcing the dire need for decisive action with a treaty addressing plastic contamination to protect future generations.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Philip Landrigan\u00a0, an epidemiologist and professor at \u00a0Boston College\u00a0, and co-author of the \u00a0The Lancet\u00a0 study, notes, “We know enough about the severe health and environmental damage caused by plastics. The burdens disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, especially children. It’s time for action.” <\/p>\n

The report by \u00a0The Lancet\u00a0 underscores the presence of microplastics in fetuses, posing risks for birth defects, childhood cancers, and fertility issues in adulthood. These harmful particles enter the body through water, food, and air, and have been detected in blood, placentas, breast milk, semen, and even bone marrow.<\/p>\n


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General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Carlos FresnedaCorresponsal Par\u00eds Actualizado Martes, 5 agosto 2025 – 13:07 The \u00a0production of plastics\u00a0 has skyrocketed by 200 times since 1950, posing a \u00a0serious risk\u00a0 to both health and the environment. The so-called “plastic crisis” is resulting in estimated damages of \u20ac1.3 trillion to the health of millions across diverse age groups, stemming from air […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36400],"tags":[36718,36717,36744,36745],"class_list":["post-160822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","tag-ciencia","tag-ciencia-y-salud","tag-ciencia-y-salud-medio-ambiente","tag-medio-ambiente"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160822\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}