CIVICUS discusses the campaign for a United Nations (UN) treaty to tackle plastic pollution with Aminah Taariq-Sidibe, manager of End Plastic Initiatives at EARTHDAY.ORG, an international environmental civil society group. Alongside over 150,000 partners in over 192 countries, EARTHDAY.ORG works to mobilise environmental action worldwide.
The plastic pollution crisis demands urgent global action, particularly on curbing plastics production. With only a small fraction of all plastics recycled, better waste management alone cannot solve this global problem. However, negotiations for a comprehensive treaty face significant obstacles, including opposition from major plastic-producing states and influence from fossil fuel lobbyists, who often outnumber civil society representatives at talks.