GENEVA — Delegates, experts, and stakeholders from 184 countries and 619 organizations are determined to finalize the treaty on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. They made this clear at the opening of the second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC 5.2), tasked with drafting this instrument, which is being held from Aug. 5 to 14 in Geneva, Switzerland. “We are here today to fulfill an international mandate. This is a unique and historic opportunity for the international community to overcome differences and find common ground,” said Luis Vayas Valdivieso, Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC), at the opening of the session. Speaking at the opening as well, Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, stated, “Plastic pollution is already present in nature, in our oceans, and even in our bodies. If we continue on this path, the entire world will drown in plastic pollution, which will have significant consequences for our planetary, economic, and human health.” She added, “But this should not be our future. Together, we can meet this challenge. The adoption of a treaty text is the first step in the fight against plastic pollution for all, everywhere in the world.” The difficulty with consensus At the previous negotiating session, in Busan, South Korea in 2024, despite a majority of parties supporting reduced production of plastic, the meeting was unable to reach an agreement. A “High Ambition Coalition” of more than 60 countries co-chaired by Rwanda and…This article was originally published on Mongabay