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- China to 'gradually resume' seafood imports from Japan after Fukushima ban
- India minister blames dam release for flooding
- O'Rourke strikes early for Kiwis as Sri Lanka trail by three
- Deep takes two as Bangladesh totter in reply to India's 376
- Israel pounds Lebanon's Hezbollah after device blasts
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- Ashwin's 113 powers India to 376 in Bangladesh Test
- Biden opens home to 'Quad' leaders for farewell summit
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- Wallabies sense 'massive' chance to upset All Blacks
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- Inter on a high ahead of Milan derby as Napoli face Juve test
- Bank of Japan leaves key interest rate unchanged
- Arnold quits after six years in charge of Australia
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- Guirassy and Anton to return to Stuttgart with new side Dortmund
- Marseille bidding to continue 'almost perfect' Ligue 1 start
- Arnold quits as coach of Australia men's football team
- Harris and Oprah hold star-studded US election rally
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- Perez leading new-look Villarreal charge against leaders Barca
- Man City face Arsenal in Premier League title showdown, Postecoglou under pressure
- Fake celebrity endorsements, snubs plague US presidential race
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- World leaders to gather at UN as crises grow and conflicts rage
- How plastic pollution poses challenge for Canada marine conservation
- Scientists track plastic waste in pristine Canada marine park
- South Africa's Buhai grabs LPGA Queen City lead
- Japan inflation firms to 2.8% ahead of BoJ rate decision
- Russia's Kadyrov accuses Musk of 'remotely disabling' his Cybertruck
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- Ohtani eyes MLB history after surpassing 50 stolen bases
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- Head's 'good night at office' after century seals win over England
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- Barca stumble at Monaco after early red card
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UN to take first step towards 'historic' plastic treaty
The United Nations is to launch formal negotiations on Wednesday for a global treaty to address a plastic trash "epidemic" that supporters say is a historic moment for the planet.
The UN Environment Assembly (UNEA), convening in Nairobi, is poised to adopt a resolution creating an intergovernmental committee to negotiate and finalise a legally binding agreement by 2024.
The amount of plastic trash entering the oceans is forecast to triple by 2040, and governments have been under pressure to unite behind a global response to the crisis.
The framework for a comprehensive treaty has been approved by UN member states, including major plastic producers like the US and China, according to sources close to the negotiations.
Officials say it gives negotiators a broad and robust mandate to consider new rules that target plastic pollution from its birth as a raw material to its design, use and safe disposal.
This could include limits on making new plastic, which is derived from oil and gas, though policy specifics will only be determined during later talks.
The mandate provides for the negotiation of binding global targets with monitoring mechanisms, the development of national plans and financing for poorer countries.
Negotiators also have the scope to consider all aspects of pollution -- not just plastic in the ocean but tiny particles in the air, soil and food chain -- a key demand of many countries.
- 'One for the history books' -
"We are 100-percent happy with the outcome," said Ana Teresa Lecaros, director of environment in the foreign ministry of Peru, a country that co-signed one of the draft resolutions.
Inger Andersen, the head of the UN Environment Programme, said a plastics treaty would be "one for the history books" and the most important pact for the planet since the Paris climate agreement.
The rate of plastic production has grown faster than any other material and is expected to double within two decades, the UN says.
But less than 10 percent is recycled, with most winding up in landfill or oceans.
By some estimates, a garbage truck's worth of plastic is dumped into the sea every minute.
"Plastic pollution has grown into an epidemic of its own," said Norway's climate and environment minister, Espen Barth Eide, who chairs UNEA.
He said he was "quite optimistic" about bringing down the gavel on a strong resolution in Nairobi.
Environment groups are also buoyed by the outcome of the talks but like officials and diplomats, caution that the strength of any treaty will only be determined by rigorous negotiations to come.
The first round of discussions is set for May, according to sources involved in the process.
Big plastic makers have underscored the importance of plastic in construction, medicine and other vital industries and warned that banning certain materials would cause supply chain disruptions.
O.Krause--BTB