Nations will try again on plan to confront world's 'spiraling' plastic pollution mess

Nations gather in Geneva Tuesday to try to complete a landmark treaty aimed at ending the plastic pollution crisis that affects every ecosystem and person on the planet.

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It’s the sixth time negotiators are meeting and they hope the last. A key split is whether the treaty should require cutting plastic production, with powerful oil-producing nations opposed; most plastic is made from fossil fuels. They say redesign, recycling and reuse can solve the problem, while other countries and some major companies say that’s not enough.

Only a treaty can mobilize the necessary global action, said Angelique Pouponneau, lead ocean negotiator for 39 small island and low-lying coastal developing states. At home in the Seychelles, Pouponneau said, plastic contaminates the fish they eat, piles up on beaches and chokes the ocean to undermine tourism and their way of life.

"It’s the world’s final opportunity to get this done and to get it done right," she said. "It would be a tragedy if we didn’t live up to our mandate."

United Nations Environment Programme Executive Director Inger Andersen said the issues are complex but the crisis is “really spiraling” and there's a narrow pathway to a treaty. She said many countries agree on redesigning plastic products to be recycled and improving waste management, for example.