What do countries and companies want in global plastic treaty talks? | Explained

Global leaders meet in Canada to discuss a groundbreaking treaty to combat plastic pollution and reduce carbon emissions.

Global leaders will gather in Canada's capital this week to discuss progress in drafting a first-ever global treaty to rein in soaring plastic pollution by the end of the year.

The hoped-for treaty, due to be agreed at the end of this year, could be the most significant deal relating to climate-warming emissions and environmental protection since the 2015 Paris Agreement, which got 195 parties to agree to keep global temperatures from rising beyond 1.5 degrees Celcius.

At the U.N. Environment Assembly in 2022, nations agreed to develop a legally binding agreement by the end of 2024 to address the world's plastic pollution crisis. The treaty is set to address plastics through their entire lifecycle - from when they are produced, to how they are used and disposed of. But negotiators have a tough task in Ottawa, Ontario, with countries divided over how ambitious the treaty should be.

While plastic waste has become a global menace polluting landscapes and waterways, producing plastics involves releasing greenhouse gas emissions. The plastic industry now accounts for 5% of global carbon emissions, which could grow to 20% by 2050 if current trends continue, said a report last week from the U.S. federal Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Plastic production is on track to triple by 2060 — unless the treaty sets production limits, as some have proposed. Most virgin plastic is derived from petroleum.

This week's talks are set to be the biggest yet, with some 3,500 people registered to attend including lobbyists, scientists and environmental non-profits. But countries have become divided on the issues during three previous rounds of talks held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, Paris, France and most recently in Nairobi, Kenya.

At the Nairobi talks in November, the draft treaty under review ballooned from 30 pages to 70 as some countries insisted on including their objections to more ambitious measures like production limits and phase-outs. Countries are now under pressure to find common ground before the final negotiations are held in December in Busan, South Korea.