Here is a pdf of the full article courtesy of Boston College:

The Lancet Countdown on #health & #plastics

https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/bc1/top-tier/research/global-observatory/docs/Lancet%20CountdownHealth-Plastics.pdf

“The principal driver of this crisis is accelerating growth in #plastic production—from 2 megatonnes (Mt) in 1950, to 475 Mt in 2022 that is projected to be 1200 Mt by 2060. #PlasticPollution has also worsened, & 8000 Mt of plastic waste now pollute the #planet. Less than 10% of plastic is #recycled. Yet, continued worsening of #plastics' harms is not inevitable.

“#Plastics are a grave, growing, & under-recognised danger to human & planetary #health. Plastics cause #disease & #death from infancy to old age & are responsible for health-related economic losses exceeding US$1.5 trillion annually. These impacts fall disproportionately upon #LowIncome & #AtRisk populations.

More

#Plastic production is set to triple by 2060, fueled by petrochemical-producing countries.

A global “#PlasticsCrisis” is costing governments & taxpayers $1.5 trillion annually as they try to cope with escalating injuries, #disability & #deaths as the substance pollutes our land, seas & bodies, acc/to a new report by leading #medical journal The Lancet.

#law #PlasticsTreaty #PlasticPollution #FossilFuels #Oceans #Climate #health #wildlife
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01447-3/abstract

Update

Nations Meet in Geneva in a Final Push to End #PlasticPollution

#UN negotiators have 10 days to craft a global #PlasticsTreaty. Environmental advocates say reaching an agreement to cap production is key, but industry & #petrostates are pushing back.

Delegates from 184 countries met in Geneva Tuesday to resume negotiations in the last scheduled opportunity to halt the escalating plastic pollution crisis through a legally binding global agreement.

#law #plastics
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/05082025/un-plastic-committee-resumes-negotiations-in-geneva/

That’s similar to the views of the #plastics industry, which says that a production cap could have unintended consequences, such as raising the cost of plastics, & that #chemicals are best regulated elsewhere.

#China, the #UnitedStates & #Germany lead the global plastics trade by exports & imports, according to the Plastics Industry Association.

The #State Dept says it supports provisions to improve waste collection & management, improve product design & drive recycling, reuse & other efforts to cut the #plastic dumped into the #environment.

“If the negotiations are to succeed, the agreement must be aimed at protecting the environment from #PlasticPollution, & the agreement should recognize the importance #plastics play in our economies,” the State Dept said in a statement to AP.

Some plastic-producing & #oil & #gas countries firmly oppose production limits. #SaudiArabia, the world’s largest exporter of one common type of #plastic, has led that group in asserting there should be no problem producing plastic if the world addresses #PlasticPollution.

The #US doesn’t support global production caps or bans on certain plastic products or #chemical additives to them.

About 300 businesses that are members of the Business Coalition for a Global #PlasticsTreaty — companies such as Walmart, the Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, & L’Oréal—support reducing production along with increasing recycling & reuse. The coalition includes major food & beverage companies & retailers who want an effective, binding treaty with global rules to spare them the headaches of differing approaches in different countries.

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

Between 19 million & 23 million tons of plastic waste leak into #AquaticEcosystems annually, that could jump 50% by 2040 without urgent action, according to the #UN.

@luciedigitalni @feather1952

ban plastic bottles across the board.

all this waste is for the benefit of manufacturers (like coca cola) and supply chain companies (like colesworth)

a two year change-over deadline and accelerated write-offs for investment in providing and recycling alternatives (glass bottles, re-usable crates as an alternative to wrapping shippers in soft plastic etc)

companies are primarily obliged to make profits for the benefit of shareholders, but they are also obliged to comply with the laws of host countries.

products like coca cola have an almost inelastic demand — they (and companies in their supply chain) would find a way to make a profit under the new rules.