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	International Court of Justice opens case on responsibilities of states to act on climate change by ICJ, IPS News, CIEL, Save the Children, agencies   Dec. 2024   The International Court of Justice on December 2, 2024 began its deliberations into the obligations under international law of UN member states to protect people and ecosystems from climate change.   The case was started by the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC) with the support of Ishmael Kalsakau, the then prime minister of the Pacific island of Vanuatu.   Vanautu will be the first of 98 countries that will make presentations during the fortnight of hearings, after which the court will give an advisory opinion.   A few UN member states responsible for the majority of emissions have breached international law, Ralph Regenvanu, a special climate envoy from Vanuatu, told the International Court of Justice in the Hague in his opening address.   Regenvanu said his nation of islands and people had built vibrant cultures over millennia “that are intimately intertwined with our ancestral lands and seas. Yet today, we find ourselves on the front lines of a crisis we did not create.”   Arnold Kiel Loughman, Attorney General of Vanuatu, said it was for the ICJ to uphold international law and hold states accountable for their actions.   “How can the conduct that has taken humanity to the brink of catastrophe, threatening the survival of entire peoples, be lawful and without consequences?” Loughman asked.   “We urge the Court to affirm in the clearest terms that this conduct is in breach of the obligations of states and international law, and that such a breach carries consequences.”   Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh, the lead counsel for Vanuatu and the Melanesian Spearhead Group, said some states had breached international law through their acts and omissions.   She said this included issuing licences for fossil fuel extraction and granting subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, as well as failure to regulate emissions or to provide finance under the UN framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC).   Wewerinke-Singh said responsible states were required to make full reparation for the injury they had caused and this must be “proportionate to historic contributions to the harm”. She said this could include monetary compensation in addition to cash committed under the UNFCCC.   Cynthia Houniuhi, the head of the Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change, which had initiated the action, said climate change was undermining “the sacred contract” between generations.   “Without our land, our bodies and memories are severed from the fundamental relationships that define who we are. Those who stand to lose are the future generations. Their future is uncertain, reliant upon the decision-making of a handful of large emitting states.”   Throughout the day, countries impacted by climate change told the ICJ that climate change agreements did not preclude other aspects of international law. During it’s first day of hearings, the court heard from Vanuatu and Melanesian Spearhead Group, South Africa, Albania, Germany, Antigua and Barbuda, Saudi Arabia, Australia, the Bahamas, Bangladesh and Barbados.   Barbados gave graphic examples of how climate change affects the country and asked the court to consider robust obligations on states to mitigate their greenhouse gas emissions.   “Climate change is not some unstoppable force that individual states have no control over. We must cut through the noise and accept that those whose activities have led to the current state of global affairs must offer a response that is commensurate with the destruction that has been caused. There is no parity, there is no fairness, there is no equity,” Bahamas attorney general Ryan Pinder told the court.   Showing a photograph of piles of what looked like refuse, Pinder recalled the impact of Hurricane Dorian.   “You can easily mistake this photograph for a pile of rubbish. However, what you are looking at are lost homes and lost livelihoods. A 20-foot storm surge rushed through the streets of these islands, contributing to approximately 3 billion US dollars in economic damage. That’s about 25 percent of our annual GDP in just two days. The results of such a storm are real.   They include displaced people, learning loss, livelihoods, and lost and missing loved ones, all because some countries have ignored the warning signs of the climate crisis.”   “It is time for these polluters to pay. The IPCC has been telling us for years that the only way to stop a warming planet is to make deep, rapid and sustained cuts in the global greenhouse gas emissions. The world needs to reach net zero emissions by 2050, which requires a cut in the GHG emissions by at least 43 percent in the next five years. Industrial states need to take urgent action now and provide reparations for their decades of neglect.”   The ICJ’s hearings and advisory opinion are unique in that they do not focus solely on a single aspect of international law. Instead, they include the UN Charter, the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Paris Agreement, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the duty of due diligence, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the principle of prevention of significant harm to the environment, and the duty to protect and preserve marine environments.   The court will give its opinion on the obligations of states under international law to ensure the protection of the climate system for present and future generations.   It will also consider the legal consequences of causing significant harm to the climate system and the environment and its impact on other states, including “small island developing states (SIDS), which are affected by climate change, and peoples and individuals, both present and future generations, affected by the adverse effects of climate change.”   Attorney General Graham Leung of Fiji says the court isn’t a substitute for negotiations, which are complex and painstakingly slow.   “The ICJ opinion will be precedent-setting. That is to say it will cover and discuss and analyze the legal issues and the scientific issues, and it will come to a very, very important or authoritative decision that will carry great moral weight.   While the court doesn’t have enforcement rights and while it won’t be legally binding, it will work through moral persuasion.   “It’s going to be a very brave country that will stand up against an advisory opinion on the International Court of Justice, because if you are in that minority that violates the opinion of the court, you can be regarded as a pariah or as an outlaw in the international community.”   The hearings come as the outcome of the COP29 negotiations was met with criticism, especially with regard to the financing of the impacts of climate change.   Ahead of the hearings, WWF Global Climate and Energy Lead and COP20 President Manuel Pulgar-Vidal said, “With most countries falling far short of their obligations to reduce emissions and protect and restore nature, this advisory opinion has the potential to send a powerful legal signal that states cannot ignore their legal duties to act.”   Other criticisms of the present status quo include a belief that the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are inadequate, and climate finance, intended as a polluter pays mechanism, has failed to reach those most affected, with, for example, the Pacific countries only receiving 0.2 percent of the USD 100 billion a year climate finance pledge.   Cristelle Pratt, Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS), agrees that the court’s decision will make it easier to negotiate on climate finance and loss and damage provisions by making that clearer.   It’s expected the ICJ to publish its final advisory opinion in 2025.   http://www.icj-cij.org/multimedia/204420 http://www.icj-cij.org/case/187 http://www.ipsnews.net/2024/12/small-island-states-demand-international-court-look-beyond-climate-treaties-justice/ http://www.ciel.org/news/historic-climate-justice-hearings/ http://www.ciel.org/news/historic-climate-justice-hearings-icj/ http://www.savethechildren.net/news/pacific-youth-hope-historic-hearing-hague-delivers-climate-justice-where-cop-did-not http://www.rightsoffuturegenerations.org/the-principles http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/general-comments-and-recommendations/crccgc26-general-comment-no-26-2023-childrens-rights   http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/02/handful-of-countries-responsible-for-climate-crisis-icj-court-told http://wmo.int/news/media-centre/2024-track-be-hottest-year-record-warming-temporarily-hits-15degc http://www.ipcc.ch/reports http://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session57/advance-versions/A-HRC-57-30-AEV.pdf http://academic.oup.com/bioscience/advance-article/doi/10.1093/biosci/biae087/7808595 http://www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/latest-news/25-of-35-planetary-vital-signs-at-record-extremes-2024-state-of-the-climate-report Visit the related web page
	Moment of Truth for Global Plastics Treaty by OHCHR, WWF, CIEL, Greenpeace, agencies   Nov. 2024   Moment of Truth for Global Plastics Treaty, by Andres Del Castillo, Senior Attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law, and Lindsey Jurca Durland, Campaign Specialist at the Center for International Environmental Law.   The stakes couldn’t be higher as we enter the final scheduled round of plastics treaty negotiations. From November 25 to December 1, United Nations Member States will convene in Busan, Republic of Korea — will they deliver a treaty that matches the urgency of the plastics crisis?   The global plastics crisis poses an escalating threat to the environment, public health, and the economy. Currently, 99 percent of plastics are derived from fossil fuels — the main driver of climate change — and production is on track to triple by 2050, accounting for 20 percent of global oil demand within the next two decades. This surge in plastic production could use up a staggering one-third of the Earth’s remaining carbon budget, seriously jeopardizing efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C.   Despite stagnant demand and an oversaturated market, more than 1,400 new plastic production projects are planned by 2027. Economists have cautioned that expanding fossil-fuel-based plastic production is both reckless and economically shortsighted. The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) urges a production cap to address market imbalances and mitigate risks to the environment and the economy.   A meaningful global plastics treaty must cap production, align efforts with climate goals, address inequities, and curb the widespread devastation of plastic pollution, including greenhouse gas emissions.   A Cap on Global Plastic Production with Binding National Targets   Plastic’s toxic impacts permeate every stage of its life cycle. With plastic recycling rates below 10 percent, downstream measures are wholly inadequate to address this crisis. The solution must begin at the source: we need a treaty that caps plastic production. To align with global climate goals, CIEL recommends a minimum 70 percent reduction in plastic production by 2050, using 2019 as a baseline.   A treaty that fails to limit plastic production at its source will not only fall short of its mandate to end plastic pollution — it will fail humanity at a critical juncture. To meaningfully address this crisis, a global reduction target must be paired with ambitious, binding national commitments.   A treaty with a global production target but no binding national obligations risks becoming another ‘Paris-style’ agreement — offering promises while delaying real action. Postponing decisions on national obligations is a dangerous gamble, with no guarantee of success.   The first and most critical step toward meaningful reductions is preventing exponential plastic production growth. That’s why the treaty must mandate national measures to halt the expansion of production capacity.   Bans on Chemicals of Concern   Of the 16,000 chemicals used in plastics, more than 4,200 are known to pose serious health and environmental hazards and risks and have been linked to miscarriage, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and more.   Nearly 10,000 of them lack adequate data, posing unknown dangers. Following the advice of leading scientists, the treaty must adopt the precautionary principle, globally banning entire classes of hazardous chemicals, mandating transparency, and prioritizing human and environmental safety.   Trade Measures   Plastics are a transboundary issue. Feedstocks, products, and waste flow across global markets, often circumventing regulations. The treaty must establish enforceable measures for tracking and managing trade, including rules for non-party countries that do not ratify, to prevent loopholes and maintain treaty efficacy.   Robust Governance Mechanisms   After the treaty text is finalized and entered into force, a Conference of the Parties (COP) will convene to ensure the treaty’s implementation, monitor progress, and address emerging issues. Future decision-making must avoid the pitfalls of consensus voting, which risks stalling progress.   A dynamic treaty must empower regular COPs to swiftly address emerging issues and ensure long-term success by establishing the possibility for qualified majority voting when consensus cannot be reached.   Financial Mechanisms   The treaty must establish a dedicated financial mechanism to support the achievement of its objectives, with a particular focus on assisting low- and middle-income countries. Member States should embrace innovative funding solutions, such as implementing a globally coordinated fee on primary polymer production.   Delay Tactics   As the INCs have already shown, Member States may attempt to dilute ambition and derail progress. These tactics can include a flood of procedural questions, denial of scientific consensus, claims of knowledge gaps, reopening agreed-upon text, and requesting additional information to delay decision-making.   Industry Influence   Fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists have infiltrated previous negotiations. According to an analysis by CIEL, the number of lobbyists at INC-4 outnumbered European Union delegates. Strict conflict of interest policies and transparency measures are necessary to ensure that the treaty’s implementation is protected from the vested interests of these industries..   The world cannot afford a weak or voluntary treaty that prioritizes industry interests over human and planetary health. Leaders in Busan must rise to the occasion and deliver the bold, binding agreement we need to tackle the plastics crisis.   Without a robust treaty, we risk locking in decades of escalating plastic production, worsening climate impacts, and irreparable harm to ecosystems and communities worldwide. The time for incremental steps is over. It’s now or never.   http://www.climatechangenews.com/2024/12/01/talks-to-produce-global-plastics-pact-end-without-agreement/ http://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/plastics-and-the-environment/ http://www.ciel.org/news/inc-5-conclusion/ http://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2024/12/02/plastic-treaty-talks-stall-despite-support-for-production-cuts-additional-session-planned/ http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/press_releases/?12987441/UN-plastic-pollution-summit-fails-to-reach-agreement-despite-majority-supporting-ambitious-measures http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/71619/global-plastics-treaty-negotiations-fail-inc5/   http://www.ciel.org/moment-of-truth-will-inc-5-deliver-the-plastics-treaty-the-world-needs http://www.ciel.org/news/inc-5-lobbyist-analysis/ http://www.ciel.org/reports/make-plastic-polluters-pay/ http://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2024/11/24/greenpeace-wwf-break-free-from-plastic-deliver-almost-3-million-signatures-demanding-strong-global-plastics-treaty/ http://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2024/11/29/courage-not-compromise-observer-organizations-react-to-the-initial-days-of-the-plastics-treaty-negotiations/ http://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/news/ http://www.carbonbrief.org/five-charts-why-a-un-plastics-treaty-matters-for-climate-change http://news.mongabay.com/2024/11/plastic-pollution-pushing-earth-past-all-nine-planetary-boundaries-report/ http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590332224005414 http://news.mongabay.com/2024/11/the-plastics-crisis-is-now-a-global-human-health-crisis-experts-say/ http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/24/world-unable-cope-10-years-talks-un-global-treaty-to-end-plastic-waste   Nov. 2024   Plastic pollution a global threat to human rights, say UN experts. (OHCHR)   UN experts say the legally binding global instrument on plastic pollution, now in the final phase of negotiation, must secure accountability in all stages of the plastic cycle. Ahead of the last scheduled session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee in Busan, South Korea, the experts issued this statement:   “The current direction of the negotiations to produce a new international treaty on plastic pollution risks shifting responsibility from plastic-producing States to developing States that lack the capacity or resources to confront the global plastic scourge. Plastic producers, and the States where they are based, are not doing their part in addressing the global adverse impacts on human rights.   The legally binding instrument under negotiation must include explicit references to human rights to properly frame effective and legitimate solutions. Language on the right to information, the right to development, and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment are indispensable. In addition, the treaty should also reflect key human rights principles, including transparency, prevention and accountability.   Every stage of the plastic cycle generates plastic pollution that threatens the effective enjoyment of human rights. The mandate given by the UN Environment Assembly to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee was clear: the instrument under negotiation must address the full lifecycle of plastics.   Transparency for plastic pollution in all stages of the plastics cycle means the public must have access to accurate and accessible information on the chemicals of concern used in plastic polymers and products, the type and amounts of pollutants emitted or released in each of the stages of the plastic lifecycle, and the volumes of plastics produced.   This information is critical for the protection of human rights from the harmful impacts of plastics, as well as for adequate monitoring and enforcement of states duties and business responsibilities, including in respect of the reductions of plastic production that need to be established by the new instrument.   Accountability means that plastic producers must make contributions to a global fund. This fund should operationalize the polluter-pays principle and support implementation of effective waste management measures and technologies suitable to protect human rights in the specific context of developing countries, especially in small island developing States and least developed countries burdened by plastic pollution.   It should also cover the clean-up of the toxic legacy of plastics, including the island-sized plastic gyres in the marine environment.   Prevention of harm to human and environmental health requires that chemicals of concern must be adequately controlled and kept out of plastics. This will also enable the transition to a chemically safe circular economy.   Prevention also means that plastic product design must enable both the phase-out of non-essential plastic products as well as chemically safe recycling. This is particularly important for developing countries that lack economies of scale and rely on imports.   A human rights-based approach also demands access to remedies, especially for those people who suffer disproportionate impacts from plastic pollution. A just transition that leaves no one behind is also critical to address the situation of many individuals and groups who derive an income from work on plastics.   The international community must come together to end plastic pollution. This requires bold vision that confronts the negative externalities imposed by the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries and responds to the full evidence base on the causes and impacts on human rights of plastic pollution throughout its full lifecycle, including its impacts on the other planetary crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.   A legitimate and just transition to ending plastic pollution necessitates placing human rights at the core of the legally binding instrument under negotiation.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/11/plastic-pollution-global-threat-human-rights-say-un-experts   Apr. 2024   8 in 10 people support cut in plastic production. (Greenpeace International)   Eight out of 10 people support cutting plastic production revealed a new Greenpeace International report ahead of the fourth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC4) meeting for a Global Plastics Treaty to be held in Ottawa, Canada this month. The survey which was conducted across 19 countries also indicates overwhelming public backing for measures aimed at ending single-use plastics and promoting reuse-based solutions.   Key findings include:   82% of respondents support cutting the production of plastic to stop plastic pollution. 80% of respondents advocate for protecting biodiversity and the climate by reducing plastics production. 90% of respondents endorse transitioning away from single-use plastic packaging to reusable and refillable alternatives.   75% of respondents support a ban on single-use plastic packaging. 80% of respondents express concern[1] about the health impacts of plastic on their loved ones and 84% of parents surveyed express concern about the health impacts of plastic on their children.   Graham Forbes, Greenpeace Head of Delegation to the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations and Global Plastics Campaign Lead for Greenpeace USA, said: “The level of public support demonstrated by this survey sends a clear message: the vast majority of people want a Global Plastics Treaty that cuts plastic production and ends single use plastic. It is time for world leaders to listen and rise to the occasion. They must stand up to the fossil fuel industry and deliver a strong and ambitious treaty that represents the will of the people.”   The survey reveals consistent support for ambitious action on plastics across all countries, particularly in the Global South regions where plastic pollution levels are notably high.   A strong majority of people support these measures across all categories, including 60% of respondents who supported the exclusion of lobbyists from the fossil fuel and chemical industries from treaty negotiations.   In several countries there is a significant disconnect between the level of public support for cutting plastic production and the position of their governments on the treaty.   For example, the Indian and Chinese governments oppose limiting the production of plastics, and the Brazilian government does not specify its support for this measure, compared to overwhelming public support to cut production in China of 92%, 89% in Brazil, and 86% in India.   Greenpeace is demanding that the Global Plastics Treaty cuts total plastic production by at least 75% by 2040 to protect biodiversity and ensure that global temperatures stay below 1.5° C. Over 99% of plastic is made from fossil fuels, and with production set to skyrocket, it is a significant driver of climate change.   “We only have two negotiation meetings left – the clock is ticking and we are either heading towards a treaty that will solve the global plastics crisis or end up with a weak treaty that will only let the planet spiral towards disaster. We cannot let the fossil fuel industry dictate the terms of how the world solves a problem that they’ve created. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to solve the plastics crisis – let’s not waste it,” Forbes added.   Government ministers from 173 countries are set to gather at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa, Canada from April 23 to 29, 2024, for the INC4 conference to negotiate a legally binding Treaty. The last negotiation meeting will happen in Busan, South Korea in November 2024. The INC3 meeting in Nairobi, Kenya last November 2023 ended in frustration as low-ambition countries derailed the negotiations, with the talks ending without a mandate to create a first draft of the treaty.   * FAO: Studies have shown we are breathing microplastics, eating microplastics, drinking microplastics, and picking them up through skin contact. Evidence is mounting that they can pose a potential threat to food safety and human health. Scientists have found microplastics in the gut, human heart tissue and blood. They’ve been detected in breast milk, placentas, and developing brains. There is currently research suggesting that microplastics, a complex mix of chemicals, leach chemical compounds during cooking processes.   The enormous climate impact of plastic production, report from GAIA, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory   In advance of the fourth round of United Nations negotiations for an international plastics treaty in Ottawa April 23-29, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has released a groundbreaking study revealing the enormous climate impact of plastic production. The report’s findings reinforce the importance of the treaty covering the entire life cycle of plastic, from extraction to disposal, as enshrined in the 175-country agreement Resolution 5/14, which forms the basis for the treaty talks. Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) has created a policy brief that shows how rapidly the world must reduce plastic production in time to avert catastrophic warming.   Key Findings:   Plastics’ impact on the climate starts with extraction. To fully capture, measure, evaluate and address the impacts of plastic pollution, assessment and regulatory controls must consider the complete lifecycle, beginning with extraction.   Growth in plastic production alone will doom international climate goals. Even if every other source of greenhouse gas emissions – transportation, electricity, agriculture, heavy industry, etc. – were to miraculously and completely decarbonize in 2024, at current growth rates, primary plastic production alone would completely consume the global carbon budget as early as 2060.   Deep, rapid cuts in plastic production are required by the Paris Agreement. To avoid breaching the 1.5°C limit set by the Paris Agreement, primary plastic production must decrease by at least 12% to 17% per year, starting in 2024.   A key tension point in the negotiations thus far is over including ambitious and binding plastic production cuts in the final treaty. The vast majority of countries engaged in the negotiation process have remained open to including production reduction targets in the treaty. However a small but vocal minority, primarily made up of fossil fuel-producing nations, have sought to sabotage the talks through obstruction tactics and by arguing that plastic pollution starts only at the disposal stage. In light of the new data from LBNL, this small group’s obstruction imperils the world’s ability to decarbonize in time to avoid climate disaster.   The petrochemical industry itself has had a significant presence at the negotiations– 143 industry lobbyists registered to attend INC-3, a larger group than any national delegation or civil society organization, and has gained extensive access to government representatives from around the world. Civil society is calling for their removal from further negotiations to avoid conflict of interest.   GAIA Science and Policy Director and Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy, Dr. Neil Tangri, states: “While global leaders are trying to negotiate a solution to the plastic crisis, the petrochemical industry is investing billions of dollars in making the problem rapidly worse. We need a global agreement to stop this cancerous growth, bring down plastic production, and usher in a world with less plastic and less pollution.”   Co-author Dr. Sam Adu-Kumi, former Director of the Chemicals Control and Management Centre of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Ghana, says, “Africa has been one of the most ambitious regions in the plastics treaty negotiations. We recognize the impact of plastic pollution on our people’s health, environment and livelihoods and we know from experience that upstream measures are needed to enable downstream success in combating plastic pollution.”   Co-author Dr. Jorge Emmanuel, Adjunct Professor and Research Faculty Fellow, Siliman University, Dumaguete, Philippines, states, “The Philippines is on the frontlines of both climate change and plastic pollution. Heat waves, powerful typhoons and flooding are getting worse, and the petrochemical industry has displaced our traditional systems with mountains of plastic that poison our communities. Whether the treaty includes plastic production cuts is not just a policy debate. It’s a matter of survival.”   http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/30/developed-countries-accused-bowing-lobbyists-plastic-pollution-talks http://www.thenewlede.org/2024/08/its-scary-scientists-finding-mounting-evidence-of-plastic-pollution-in-human-organs/ http://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl2746 http://www.thenewlede.org/2024/06/plastics-producers-face-potential-wave-of-lawsuits-report-suggests/ http://www.ciel.org/news/new-report-helps-cities-states-legal-fight-plastic-pollution/ http://www.ciel.org/news/outcome-plastics-negotiations-inc4-ottawa/ http://insideclimatenews.org/news/01052024/united-nations-plastics-treaty-negotiations/ http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/66210/8-in-10-people-support-cut-in-plastic-production-ahead-of-global-plastics-treaty-talks-in-ottawa/ http://www.no-burn.org/resources/plastics-treaty-climate-imperative http://eta.lbl.gov/publications/climate-impact-primary-plastic   http://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2024/04/21/march-to-end-the-plastic-era-inc4/ http://wwf.panda.org/act/plastic_pollution_treaty http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/fact-sheets/2024/04/04/navigating-the-un-plastics-agreement-pews-recommendations-for-a-global-solution http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/preventing-ocean-plastics http://www.facing-finance.org/2024/04/beneath-the-surface-do-esg-ratings-capture-the-risks-and-impacts-of-plastics/   http://www.hrw.org/news/2024/04/18/un-plastics-treaty-should-mandate-protection-human-rights-and-health http://plasticovershoot.earth http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/24/survey-finds-that-60-firms-are-responsible-for-half-of-worlds-plastic-pollution http://www.ciel.org/issues/plastic http://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/bioplastics-as-toxic-as-regular-plastics-both-need-regulation-say-researchers/ http://ikhapp.org/material/fact-sheet-bioplastics-biobased-plastics-and-plastics-with-biodegradable-properties-101/   Sep. 2023   Researchers in Japan have discovered microplastics in clouds, raising the specter of super-contaminating "plastic rainfall" and potential impacts to the Earth's climate.   Analyzing cloud water samples from high-altitude mountains in Japan including Mt. Fuji, researchers from Waseda University in Tokyo found nine different types of polymers and one type of rubber in the airborne microplastics (AMPs) they detected.   "Research shows that large amounts of microplastics are ingested or inhaled by humans and animals alike and have been detected in multiple organs such as lung, heart, blood, placenta, and feces," notes the summary of the study, which was published in the journal Environmental Chemistry Letters.   "These findings confirm that AMPs play a key role in rapid cloud formation, which may eventually affect the overall climate," they added.   Accumulation of AMPs in the atmosphere could also upset the planet's ecological balance, with devastating effects on biodiversity.   "AMPs are degraded much faster in the upper atmosphere than on the ground due to strong ultraviolet radiation, and this degradation releases greenhouse gases and contributes to global warming," Waseda University professor Hiroshi Okochi, who led the study, said in a statement. "As a result, the findings of this study can be used to account for the effects of AMPs in future global warming projections."   "If the issue of 'plastic air pollution' is not addressed proactively, climate change and ecological risks may become a reality, causing irreversible and serious environmental damage in the future," Okochi added.   "Ten million tons of these plastic bits end up in the ocean, released with the ocean spray, and find their way into the atmosphere," the summary continues. "This implies that microplastics may have become an essential component of clouds, contaminating nearly everything we eat and drink via 'plastic rainfall.'"   http://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/78501 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10311-023-01626-x http://plastichealthcouncil.com/global-plastics-treaty http://plastichealthcouncil.com/ http://insideclimatenews.org/news/18032024/fossil-fuels-toxic-chemicals-deadly-diseases/ http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13197-023-05720-4 http://www.discovermagazine.com/environment/microplastics-are-everywhere-what-are-they-doing-to-our-health http://unece.org/media/news/388691   June 2023   UN experts warn of “toxic tidal wave” as plastic pollutes environment and threatens human rights. (OHCHR)   The world must beat the toxic tidal wave of plastic pollution that threatens human rights, UN experts said today, urging States and other stakeholders to put rights at the centre of the international treaty on plastic pollution currently under negotiation. Ahead of World Environment Day, they issued the following joint statement:   “Plastic production has increased exponentially over recent decades and today the world is generating 400 million tonnes of plastic waste yearly.   All stages of the plastics cycle have adverse impacts on human rights. We are in the middle of an overwhelming toxic tidal wave as plastic pollutes our environment and negatively impacts human rights in a myriad of ways over its life cycle.   For example, plastic production releases hazardous substances and almost exclusively relies on fossil fuels, while plastic itself contains toxic chemicals, posing serious risks and harms to human health, human rights and the environment. At the end of its life as a consumer good, plastic waste pollutes our planet, with 85% of single use plastics sent to landfills or dumped in the environment. False and misleading solutions, such as incineration or recycling of toxics-laden plastics, aggravate the plastic threat.   Plastic, microplastic and the hazardous substances they contain can be found in the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe.   While everyone is affected by the negative human rights impacts of plastic, the level of exposure to plastic-related pollution and waste affects marginalised communities the most. We are particularly concerned about groups suffering from environmental injustices due to heightened exposure to plastic pollution, many of them living in 'sacrifice zones'.   The contribution of plastic pollution to climate change is alarming, yet often overlooked. For instance, plastic particles found in oceans limit the ability of marine ecosystems to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.   It is shocking to witness how the omnipresence of plastics impacts human rights in many different ways, including the rights to a healthy environment, life, health, food, water and an adequate standard of living.   States and businesses have specific human rights obligations which apply in the context of the fight against plastics pollution.   Over the last two years, the United Nations Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly adopted landmark resolutions recognising the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, which includes non-toxic environments where people can live, work, study and play. This should prompt and guide initiatives addressing plastic pollution.   There is an urgent need to prioritise reduction in production and use of plastic, detoxification and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.   We note the discussions taking place by member States towards a comprehensive and internationally binding instrument on plastic pollution and urge its completion by the end of 2024. It is essential that States and other stakeholders employ a human rights-based approach to beat plastic pollution.”   *The experts: David Boyd, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment; Marcos Orellana, UN Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/06/un-experts-warn-toxic-tidal-wave-plastic-pollutes-environment-and-threatens http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2021/10/plastic-pandemic-time-running-out-prevent-human-rights-tragedy-un-expert http://tinyurl.com/3f5mh3dv http://ipen.org/news/latest-science-shows-endocrine-disrupting-chemicals-plastics-pesticides-and-other-sources-pose http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/63663/un-inc3-ends-in-frustration-as-governments-allow-low-ambition-countries-to-derail-global-plastics-treaty/ http://www.greenpeace.org/international/global-plastics-treaty/ http://www.minderoo.org/plastic-waste-makers-index/#key-findings http://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/63630/global-plastics-treaty-a-lifeline-for-africa/ http://www.ciel.org/news/fossil-fuel-and-chemical-industries-at-inc-3/ http://www.ipcp.ch/activities/ipcp-policy-brief-conflicts-of-interest-in-the-assessment-of-plastics http://ikhapp.org/material/letter-to-intergovernmental-negotiation-committee-inc-from-independent-scientists/   Dec. 2022   Key human rights considerations for the negotiations to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. (OHCHR)   Our planet is polluted by plastics which contain chemicals that are seriously harmful to people and the environment. Plastics are accumulating in food chains, contaminating water, soil, and air, and releasing hazardous substances into the environment. Most plastics originate as fossil fuels and emit greenhouse gases from cradle to grave. Recent scientific studies have found microplastics in human blood, lungs, and placenta, as well as in livestock feed and milk and meat products.   Exposure to toxic chemicals often found in plastics can also affect future generations, impacting fertility, shortening gestation periods, and lowering birth weights.   Yet, there is still no globally binding agreement to comprehensively address plastic pollution. The plastics cycle has become a global threat to all human rights, including the rights to a healthy environment, life, health, food, water and sanitation, equality and non-discrimination, and housing.   The true cost of plastic production and use is foisted on everyone; however, the plastic crisis has disproportionate impacts on persons, groups and peoples in vulnerable situations such as children, women, Indigenous Peoples, coastal communities, people living in extreme poverty, surrounding communities affected by plastic production facilities, and workers at heightened risk of occupational exposure, including waste-pickers.   These same communities often lack the means for recourse to adequate access to health care, information, and opportunities to protect themselves from exposure to the impacts of the plastics cycle and access to remedy. Yet, the cost of production and use of plastics being imposed on us all has been largely unremarked.   On 2 March 2022, at the resumed fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2), Resolution 5/14 titled “End plastic pollution: towards an international legally binding instrument” was adopted, calling for the development of a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, with the ambition to complete the negotiations by the end of 2024.   This is a unique opportunity for the international community to stop the contribution of plastics to the triple planetary crisis by establishing a binding framework to protect human rights, including the rights to health and a healthy environment, from plastic pollution.   http://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/climatechange/2022-12-01/OHCHR-inputs-INC1.pdf http://undocs.org/A/76/207 http://tinyurl.com/28zsddy7 http://wwf.panda.org/act/plastic_pollution_treaty/ http://www.hrw.org/news/2023/06/05/role-fossil-fuels-absent-plastics-treaty-negotiations http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405665023000318 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020322297 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7068600/ http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304389421028302   Greenpeace International, 174 civil society groups and independent scientists   Plastic pollution has flooded our planet, harming people’s health, accelerating social injustice, destroying biodiversity and fuelling the climate crisis. Indeed scientists at the Stockholm Institute recently alerted the public that plastic pollution had already ‘exceeded safe planetary boundaries,’ threatening the very stability of the earth’s system.   Despite this, the production of virgin plastics - 99% of which are made from oil and gas - is increasing year on year. And with giant fossil fuel and petrochemical companies investing heavily in building yet more production capacity and petrochemical facilities, this growth is set to continue. Indeed, according to industry estimates, plastic production could double within the next 10-15 years, and triple by 2050.   Scientists and civil society groups from around the world agree that it is essential that the UN Plastics Treaty agrees a roadmap for dramatically reducing plastic production, a view already supported by several governments.   It is clear that the fossil fuel lobby is actively working to prevent the Plastics Treaty from containing essential controls on plastic production. It is not just the signatories of this letter who hold this view. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights recently said “There is a fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between the interests of the plastics industry and businesses deeply implicated throughout its supply chain and the human rights and policy interests of people affected by the plastics crisis. The plastic industry has disproportionate power and influence over policy relative to the general public.”   Given the industry's power and influence - both within the UN and over national and regional governments - there is a strong risk that, unless measures to inhibit their influence are put in place, it will be impossible to negotiate the Global Plastics Treaty that people and the planet need. To avoid their vested, private economic interests being placed before those of the planet and human health, the power of fossil fuel and petrochemical companies needs to be acknowledged and addressed.   The Global Plastics Treaty offers an historic opportunity to address plastic pollution for all. Its success depends on Member States being able to negotiate in good faith, prioritizing input from those most affected and based on the best available, independent science. To achieve these shared goals, UNEP must implement the measures to prevent the undue influence of the fossil fuel and petrochemical companies, which have a vested interest in perpetuating the plastic pollution crisis.   http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/60137/global-plastics-treaty-inc2-reduce-plastic-production/ http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/24/recycled-plastic-more-toxic-no-fix-pollution-greenpeace-warns http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/reports/forever-toxic/ http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaign/toolkit-plastic-free-future/learn-about-plastic-pollution/ http://tinyurl.com/2t9z2nv6 http://ikhapp.org/global-plastic-treaty-negotiations/   http://www.ciel.org/news/second-session-of-plastics-treaty-negotiations-delivers-zero-draft-mandate-intercessional-roadmap/ http://www.ciel.org/issue/plastic-global-law-policy/ http://e360.yale.edu/features/advanced-plastics-recycling-pyrolysis http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2023/05/22/global-push-to-end-plastic-pollution-must-take-a-comprehensive-approach http://news.climate.columbia.edu/2023/05/04/a-plastics-treaty-will-be-grand-but-this-recycling-innovator-in-indonesia-isnt-waiting/ http://www.france24.com/en/environment/20230530-tackling-plastic-pollution-we-can-t-recycle-our-way-out-of-this http://www.dw.com/en/nations-meet-to-strike-plastic-pollution-treaty/a-65749803   http://www.minderoo.org/no-plastic-waste/ http://www.minderoo.org/plastic-waste-makers-index/news/revealed-businesses-and-banks-behind-global-plastic-waste-crisis/ http://cdn.minderoo.org/content/uploads/2023/02/04205527/Plastic-Waste-Makers-Index-2023.pdf http://news.climate.columbia.edu/2021/12/23/nows-the-time-for-lawmakers-to-care-about-microplastics/ http://www.hrw.org/news/2023/05/15/plastics-treaty-phase-out-fossil-fuels-end-pollution http://www.hrw.org/news/2022/11/23/plastics-and-human-rights-questions-and-answers http://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/u-n-parties-are-worlds-apart-on-plastics-treaty-solutions/ http://news.mongabay.com/?s=plastics http://www.pewtrusts.org/-/media/assets/2020/07/breakingtheplasticwave_summary.pdf http://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/marine-plastic-pollution Visit the related web page
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