Hopes for a global treaty to curb plastic pollution suffered another blow as negotiations in Geneva ended without an agreement, with some countries accusing a small group of states of deliberately blocking progress. Colombia said talks were “consistently blocked” by nations unwilling to commit to binding measures, while Tuvalu, speaking on behalf of 14 Pacific small island developing states, lamented leaving the meeting “empty-handed” despite the urgent threat to their ecosystems, livelihoods, and culture. The failure leaves the future of the process uncertain, though some nations, including the EU and South Africa, have called for a seventh round of talks.
The Geneva meeting, convened after last year’s collapse of the supposed final round in South Korea, began on August 5 amid deep divisions. Negotiations chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso attempted a last-ditch compromise on Wednesday, producing a draft text based on areas of limited agreement. However, the proposal was rejected from all sides — the high-ambition coalition deemed it too weak, while the Like-Minded Group said it crossed key red lines. A revised draft emerged after frantic overnight consultations, but by sunrise, negotiators concluded there was no path forward.
The stalemate comes despite mounting evidence of a worsening crisis. Over 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced annually worldwide, with half designed for single use. While 15 percent of plastic waste is collected for recycling, only nine percent is actually recycled. Nearly half ends up in landfills, 17 percent is incinerated, and 22 percent is mismanaged, leaking into the environment as litter.
Plastic pollution has become so widespread that microplastics are now found from the highest mountain peaks to the deepest ocean trenches, and even inside the human body. Without urgent action, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development warns that annual production of fossil-fuel-based plastics could nearly triple to 1.2 billion tonnes by 2060, with plastic waste surpassing one billion tonnes.
For vulnerable island nations, the consequences are existential. Tuvalu warned that without global cooperation, millions of tonnes of waste will continue to flood oceans, threatening marine life, food security, and cultural heritage. As negotiations falter for the second time in less than a year, the world’s ability to unite against plastic pollution remains in serious doubt.
