Countries must curb production now and tackle plastic’s full life cycle, says Norwegian minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim ahead of key UN talks this week

Summary

The world faces an unmanageable plastic waste crisis within a decade unless countries agree to significant production cuts, warned Norway’s Anne Beathe Tvinnereim ahead of critical UN treaty talks in South Korea.

Divisions persist between plastic-producing nations, like the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, and a coalition of 60+ countries advocating for reductions across plastics’ life cycle.

Plastic use and waste are projected to triple by 2060, threatening health, biodiversity, and the climate.

The talks aim to address single-use plastics, toxic chemicals, and global production limits, but consensus remains elusive.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldMEnglish
    20·
    10 days ago

    I wouldn’t call it manageable now. I also am not sure plastic will be our biggest climate problem by 2060. If anything, I’m guessing they’re not predicting a major factor which might make plastic usage shoot way down.

    • themeatbridge@lemmy.worldEnglish
      7·
      10 days ago

      Whether we use the term “cope” or “manage” it’s pretty clear that our ability is far less impactful than our willingness.

      • Stern@lemmy.worldEnglish
        71·
        10 days ago

        look buddy, number needs to go up, and god as my witness i will murder every endangered animal, burn every rainforest, and fill every river with plastic waste to do it

  • Coreidan@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    10 days ago

    Hey Chief, I don’t know what planet you think you currently live on but here on Earth the plastic issue is already well past being unmanageable.

  • CascadianGiraffe@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    10 days ago

    We need to consume less disposables, but few of us are willing to tolerate even the slightest inconvenience. I’m not sure you can fix that problem without education at a young age. If you can’t fix the human greed issue, then you need to learn how to control it. Stop letting corporations and billionaires have all the money. If the population has a higher income, they can afford to pay for things that cost more to produce in a sustainable fashion.

    Nationalize Corporations and use the profits to fund UBI and disability programs.