Guest comment | Why the stakes couldn’t be higher on the Global Plastics Treaty – Santa Cruz Sentinel

By Susan Bass

This year, Earth Day marked the start of the fourth round of negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty. Without much public fanfare, delegates from 175 countries, along with hundreds of observers representing industry, academia, health organizations and environmental groups, have gathered in Ottawa to chart a course for the future of plastics and plastic pollution.

The stakes couldn’t be higher.

Plastics have been linked to serious health problems, including cancer, lung disease and birth defects. Recently, researchers found that people with heart disease where microplastics, the tiny particles found in our environment, were present in their tissues were twice as likely to have a heart attack, stroke or death within three years. Babies are at particular risk due to their increased exposure to plastics and vulnerability.

People are not the only ones at risk; It is estimated that more than a million marine animals are killed every year by plastic in waste. Eleven million tons of plastic waste flows into the ocean every year. The WHO report ‘Tobacco: Poisoning our Planet’ describes the significant risks posed by the 4.5 trillion cigarette butts thrown away. Cellulose acetate-based cigarette filters do not degrade and remain harmful to the environment while microplastics circulate in our marine and freshwater systems.

They also emit nicotine, heavy metals and other chemicals that threaten not only coastal fishing communities but also those who consume seafood products.

Furthermore, plastics are undeniably fueling the climate change crisis.

More than 90% of plastics are produced from fossil fuels and 4% of total greenhouse gas emissions are generated related to the production, conversion and waste management of plastics. And plastic-related emissions are expected to more than double by 2060.

Low-income communities and communities of color disproportionately located near petrochemical plants, as well as plastic production and waste incinerators, are particularly at risk from harmful environmental and health impacts.
The expectation is that the scale of the problem will only increase. Experts predict that global production of thermoplastics will increase to 445.25 million tons by 2025 and continue to rise by more than 30% by 2050.

Contrary to decades of industry promotion, recycling is not the answer to the plastic challenge. According to a comprehensive analysis and report from Greenpeace, the vast majority of U.S. plastic waste is still not recyclable, even though the industry has encouraged recycling since the 1990s. Even new recycling technologies, such as chemical recycling, can produce toxic emissions and hazardous waste.

The Global Plastics Treaty negotiations provide an opportunity to chart a sustainable course for our planet. We are at the crossroads of progressing a treaty that will call for significant reductions not only in single-use plastics, but also in reducing the total amount of plastics produced and demanding full transparency in the industry.

So far, the prospects for a strong treaty are uncertain at best. The so-called “Like Minded Group,” which represents many fossil fuel countries, advocates a focus on waste management rather than production cuts. The details of the US’s potentially influential position remain unclear – ironically as the administration touts its leadership in tackling climate change and promoting environmental justice.

To turn the political tide in Ottawa, we must learn a lesson from the first Earth Day, when grassroots activism in the form of twenty million people from all walks of life taking to the streets led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the first to generate environmental laws. It’s time to demand that our elected leaders sign a treaty that will free us and our planet from the scourge of plastic and plastic pollution.

Susan Bass is Senior Vice President, Programs and Operations at EARTHDAY.ORG.