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.
On Monday, the Kremlin announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin may meet U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff this week as part of ongoing efforts to media...
...
Two new videos released by Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have sparked international condemnation and renewed pressure on Israel ...
Preliminary discussions between Thai and Cambodian defence officials began on Monday in Malaysia, setting the stage for a high-level ministerial meeti...
Afghanistan and Indonesia have agreed to deepen economic and trade cooperation, with Jakarta announcing plans to establish a new Chamber of Commerce a...
On Monday, the Kremlin announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin may meet U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff this week as part of ongoing efforts to mediate the Russia-Ukraine conflict. U.S. President Donald Trump also warned of possible sanctions if a ceasefire is not reached soon.
Two new videos released by Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have sparked international condemnation and renewed pressure on Israel and the global community to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza since the October 7, 2023 attacks.
Preliminary discussions between Thai and Cambodian defence officials began on Monday in Malaysia, setting the stage for a high-level ministerial meeting scheduled for Thursday, as a fragile ceasefire continues to hold following last week's border clashes.
Afghanistan and Indonesia have agreed to deepen economic and trade cooperation, with Jakarta announcing plans to establish a new Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Kabul.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
Australian researchers have created a groundbreaking “biological AI” platform that could revolutionise drug discovery by rapidly evolving molecules within mammalian cells.
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will send an upgraded ‘version 3.0’ free-trade agreement to their heads of government for approval in October, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday after regional talks in Kuala Lumpur.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
More than 2,500 people have had to leave their homes in southern South Korean after torrential rains swept across the country during Sunday night, inundating houses and roads in six major cities and provinces. Emergency shelters filled as families sought refuge.
It’s vast, it’s unstable, and it holds enough ice to reshape the world’s coastlines. Thwaites Glacier, ominously nicknamed the “Doomsday Glacier”, has become one of the most closely watched pieces of ice on the planet.
Several towns in eastern Australia were blanketed with their thickest snowfall in nearly 40 years as severe weather swept through over the weekend.
U.S. President Donald Trump has officially cancelled plans to develop new offshore wind projects in federal waters, reinforcing his administration’s pivot from renewable energy to fossil fuels.
European forests are absorbing significantly less carbon dioxide than a decade ago, putting the European Union’s ambitious climate goals in jeopardy, scientists from the EU’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) warned on Wednesday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment