UN treaty to ‘end plastic pollution’ stalls amid calls to cap production

Close to 200 nations from across the globe were expecting to begin this month with full knowledge of the world's first-ever plan to "end plastic pollution," however, the UN's aspirations of striking a global treaty fell part on Sunday amid disagreements over whether the plan should require countries to limit their own production of plastic.

UN negotiations began more than 2 years ago

Watch NBC Bay Area News 📺 Streaming free 24/7

In March 2022, 167 nations -- nearly 90% of the UN's membership -- agreed to develop a "legally binding agreement" to "end plastic pollution." This past week, UN member countries gathered in South Korea for their fifth meeting to discuss the treaty, which was supposed to be their last round of negotiations, culminating with the release of a first-of-its-kind international plan to reduce plastic waste. Negotiations, however, fell apart amid disagreements over whether the treaty should require countries to limit the amount of plastic they produce. More than 100 countries pushed for limits on just how much plastic can be made globally, arguing efforts to reduce plastic pollution would be futile until global steps are taken to also reduce plastic production. Other countries and some in the plastics industry opposed such restrictions, saying plastic production caps would not be sustainable and noted concerns such policies would hurt manufacturers.

While the UN continued to release possible policy initiatives and suggested text during its week-long talks in South Korea, an actual treaty may not be unveiled until the summer of 2025.

Watch part 1 of this investigation:

The amount of plastic pollution that manages to elude incineration, recycling plants, and landfills is expected to nearly double over the next 25 years. The United Nations is now in the final process of developing an international treaty to dramatically reduce the world's growing pile of plastic waste. Senior Investigative Reporter Bigad Shaban explains.