The plastics crisis must remain a priority in international negotiations. Contrary to some reporting, the United Nations Global Plastics Treaty hasn’t failed—but recent talks in Geneva are a blaring wake-up call. If we don’t get this right, human health will suffer for generations, and our climate goals will slip further behind. It is vital that…
Every few years, the tires on your car wear thin and need to be replaced. But where does that lost tire material go? The answer, unfortunately, is often waterways, where the tiny microplastic particles from the tires’ synthetic rubber carry several chemicals that can transfer into fish, crabs and perhaps even the people who eat…
NICE, France, Jun 11 2025 (IPS) – As the sun peeked through the French Riviera clouds and a dozen reporters sipped orange juice aboard the WWF Panda Boat docked at Port Lympia, Frankie Orona, a Native American rights advocate from the Society of Native Nations in San Antonio, Texas, stunned the room into a moment…
Civil society groups responded to the declaration by stressing that the statement must be a “floor, not a ceiling” going into the next round of global plastics treaty talks. Nearly 100 countries at the United Nations Ocean Conference on Tuesday issued a joint declaration demanding a bold global plastics treaty ahead of the next round…
New research finds agricultural land holds 23 times more microplastics than oceans, with toxic particles infiltrating crops, ecosystems, and human bodies while global regulation lags behind. Agricultural soil is now the most polluted plastic sink on the planet, surpassing even the oceans in concentration of microplastic particles. According to a comprehensive study published in Environmental…
This is a marvelous effort to take on plastic pollution in our water. Below is a recent abstact. Here’s the URL to the site…https://theoceancleanup.com/ Increasing ocean plastic pollution is irreversibly harming ecosystems and human economic activities. We partner with a nonprofit organization and use optimization to help clean up oceans from plastic faster. Specifically, we…
UNITED NATIONS, Jan 22 2025 (IPS) – The global plastics negotiation process, launched in 2022 under a resolution by the UN Environment Assembly, represents an unprecedented effort to combat the escalating plastic pollution crisis. Despite progress, negotiations stalled at the end of 2024 due to diverging views on the scope, measures, financing, responsibilities and other…
By John Patterson Staff Writer for Wake Up World Microplastics, the tiny particles shed from clothing, packaging, and other plastic products, have infiltrated our food chain. A study by researchers at Portland State University (PSU) revealed how widespread this contamination is in seafood. Their findings, published in Frontiers in Toxicology, underscore the urgent need for solutions to…
As the world seeks sustainable alternatives to fossil-fuel-based plastics, bioplastics have emerged as a promising solution. The migration to bioplastics, however, reveals stark contrasts between the United States and Europe in terms of regulatory frameworks, market dynamics, and consumer behavior. Regulatory Leadership Europe has established itself as a global leader in bioplastics adoption, thanks to…
“Allowing fossil fuel and petrochemical companies to exert their influence in these negotiations is like letting foxes guard the henhouse,” said one campaigner. At the fifth and final session of the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to finalize a global plastics treaty in Busan, South Korea, one anti-pollution campaigner noted on Wednesday that “waste pickers,…