Plastics pollution treaty: 400 million tonnes of waste produced annually

The Inter-governmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution is holding its fifth and final round of talks in Busan. The hope is to create a legally binding international framework to reduce pollution. Plastic, invented in the 1900s, has many practical applications, but overuse in items like coffee cups and packaging harms the environment. The world produces around 400 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, with only 9% being recycled. Mismanaged waste pollutes land, air, and oceans; 1-2 million tonnes of plastic enter oceans yearly, affecting 700 marine species. Plastic takes years to decompose, becoming microplastics. Efforts for a global plastics treaty face resistance from petrostates and manufacturers who prefer waste management over production limits. Al Jazeera’s Nick Clark reports from Antiparos, Greece on the global picture of plastics use. Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #PlasticPollution #PlasticWaste #GlobalPlasticsTreaty #BusanTalks #EnvironmentalProtection #PlasticReduction #Sustainability #Recycling #MarineConservation #Microplastics #PollutionSolution #ClimateAction #AlJazeeraEnglish