World agrees to bin plastic - 11th April 2022

A global agreement to fight plastic pollution is going to be made. Countries from all around the world have promised to start discussions on the agreement. They will create an international plan to cut down plastic use.

Plastic waste is damaging to natural environments and can take hundreds of years to break down. Animals sometimes get caught in plastic packaging, or they think it's food. It can enter the food chain, which means there are risks for people too.

Environmental supporters describe this agreement as the biggest of its kind since 1989. That year, the Montreal Protocol was signed, in which countries agreed to stop using chemicals which damage the ozone layer.

400 million tonnes of plastic are manufactured annually, and a massive 40 percent of that amount is single use. Policy advisor to the UN, Paula Chin, states we need to look at the whole picture as we try to turn off "the plastic tap".

World nations have until 2024 to decide on the contents of this significant agreement. How to legally make countries keep their promises, and how to finance the deal, are two of the issues for discussion.

University of Portsmouth's Professor Steve Fletcher is plastics advisor to the Environment Programme of the United Nations. He explains that the plastics issue crosses international borders and boundaries.

The professor stated, "One country can't deal with plastic pollution alone, no matter how good its policies are." He added that "a global agreement" is necessary.