Sued by Big Plastic, feds forge ahead with global treaty on plastic pollution
Canada has joined a new coalition of countries pushing for more stringent international rules on plastic — despite facing a lawsuit at home over new rules to tackle the problem. Photo by Alex Tétrault
Canada has joined a global coalition of countries pushing for an international treaty to tackle the world's plastic pollution crisis. Led by Norway and Rwanda, the group of 20 countries will advocate for rules to reduce plastic production and eliminate plastic pollution by 2040.
The decision comes as the federal government faces two lawsuits from a group of major plastic manufacturers over domestic rules to reduce plastic pollution, including a recent ban on six single-use plastic items.
World leaders in February agreed to start working on a global treaty to reduce plastic pollution, with official negotiations starting this fall. They hope to reach an agreement in two years. Environmentalists warn any agreement must include strong measures — including limits on plastic manufacturing — to be effective.
The new "high-ambition" coalition has pledged to "restrain" plastic production, boost efforts to make reusable items more mainstream and improve recycling, and develop more sustainable methods to dispose of plastic waste. It has also said it will push to "eliminate problematic plastics" with bans and restrictions on some items.
The cost of a weak treaty is high. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the volume of plastic in the world's waterways will more than quadruple to reach 493 million tonnes by 2060 if nothing is done to deal with the problem. Plastic consumption is also expected to skyrocket during the same period, driving pollution and sustaining demand for harmful oil and gas extraction.
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