Yet global production of plastics is on course to triple to more than a billion tonnes a year by 2060, after increasing by more than 200 times over the past 75 years. This gloomy backdrop should inject a sense of urgency into UN-convened talks in Switzerland this week, aimed at agreeing a binding global plastics treaty. There are already signs that in Geneva the US plans to align itself with fellow fossil-fuel producers in resisting any attempt to agree to a reduction in virgin plastic production. But plastic production also contributes more than 3% of annual global greenhouse emissions. A cap on global production is desperately needed, though achieving that in Geneva looks like a tall order.
