Plastic pollution is causing more than $1.5 trillion in health-related economic damage each year and is linked to illness and death throughout the human lifespan, according to a new review published in 'The Lancet' on Sunday.
Describing the issue as a 'plastics crisis', the authors stress that it is preventable with the right action. They call for science-backed and cost-effective policies, including strict regulation, enforcement, and financial incentives- modelled on past successes in reducing air pollution and lead exposure.
The findings have been released just as global efforts to forge a legally binding plastics treaty resume in Geneva.
The review warns that plastic pollution is a growing and serious threat to both human and environmental health.
It notes that plastic production has surged from 2 million metric tons in 1950 to 475 million tons in 2022, and could reach 1.2 billion tons by 2060.
Around 8 billion tons of plastic waste has accumulated globally, with most of it still polluting ecosystems due to its resistance to degradation. Fewer than 10% of plastics are ever recycled.
The study comes as representatives from more than 170 countries gather for the second phase of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2), which runs from 5 to 14 August in Geneva. The talks are seen as a critical opportunity to push forward a global treaty aimed at curbing plastic pollution.
Türkiye is finalising security, ceremonial and archaeological preparations for Pope Leo XIV’s first foreign trip, a six-day visit beginning on Thur...
EU and African Union leaders gather in Luanda on Monday for a two-day summit focused on peace, security and shared prosperity, coinciding with the 25t...
Pakistan issued a strong rebuke after India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh suggested that Sindh, currently a province of Pakistan, could one day r...
Fifty of the more than 300 students kidnapped from a Nigerian Catholic school last week have escaped and have been reunited with their parents, the Ca...
South Africa handed the G20 presidency to the United States on Sunday, shifting leadership away from the Global South at a time when debt risks in poo...
Türkiye is finalising security, ceremonial and archaeological preparations for Pope Leo XIV’s first foreign trip, a six-day visit beginning on Thursday that will mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and deepen Catholic–Orthodox dialogue.
EU and African Union leaders gather in Luanda on Monday for a two-day summit focused on peace, security and shared prosperity, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of their partnership and Angola’s 50th year of independence.
Pakistan issued a strong rebuke after India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh suggested that Sindh, currently a province of Pakistan, could one day return to India. Singh framed the idea as part of a civilisational link, saying borders can change and past separations may not be permanent.
South Africa handed the G20 presidency to the United States on Sunday, shifting leadership away from the Global South at a time when debt risks in poorer nations are rising sharply.
The United States is preparing to launch a new round of Venezuela-related operations in the coming days, as President Donald Trump’s administration intensifies efforts to pressure President Nicolás Maduro’s government and targets what it calls Venezuela’s role in the regional drug trade.
Cameras from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) on Saturday (22 November) captured Hawaii's Kilauea volcano spewing flowing lava from its crater in its latest eruption.
Italy captured a remarkable third consecutive Davis Cup title on Sunday, with Matteo Berrettini and Flavio Cobolli securing singles victories in a 2-0 triumph over Spain in Bologna.
Air traffic at Eindhoven Airport in the southern Netherlands was suspended on Saturday evening after multiple drones were sighted near the facility, prompting the deployment of counter-drone systems and raising fresh alarm over airspace security in Europe.
Several international airlines have suspended flights from Venezuela after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned of heightened military activity and deteriorating security conditions in the country’s airspace.
Cameras from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) on Saturday (22 November) captured Hawaii's Kilauea volcano spewing flowing lava from its crater in its latest eruption.
COP30 ended in Brazil with a compromise agreement that expands financial support for countries facing the sharpest climate impacts, after tense negotiations stretched beyond the summit’s deadline.
Brazil pushed through a compromise climate deal at COP30 in Belém, boosting funding for developing nations but sidestepping any mention of fossil fuels — the very drivers of global warming.
The 2025 Yangtze Culture Forum opened on Friday at the Yangtze International Conference Centre in Nanjing, bringing together senior officials, scholars, and representatives from international river cities.
Talks at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil were disrupted on Thursday (20 November) after a fire broke out in the venue, triggering an evacuation just as negotiators were hunkering down to try to land a deal to strengthen international climate efforts.
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