Global plastic pollution treaty talks hit critical stage in Ottawa

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Category: Science/Environment

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. escalating / ˈɛs kəˌleɪt ɪŋ / (adj.) – increasing in price, amount, rate, etc.
    Example:

    There is escalating pressure for the sales team to succeed since the company failed to achieve target sales for the last two months.


  2. daunting / ˈdɔ:n tɪŋ / (adj.) – making someone feel a little frightened, anxious, or worried about doing something
    Example:

    The thought of giving a speech in front of a large audience is daunting for many people.


  3. negotiator / nɪˈgoʊ ʃiˌeɪ t̬ɚ / (n.) – a person who tries to create an arrangement or solution between two opposing groups
    Example:

    The negotiator listened carefully to both sides before proposing a compromise.


  4. streamline / ˈstrimˌlaɪn / (v.) – to make something simpler so that it is more efficient
    Example:

    The new software will help streamline the registration process for the seminar.


  5. ramp up (something) / ræmp ʌp / (phrasal v.) – make something increase in speed, size, etc.
    Example:

    The company plans to ramp up production to meet increasing demand.


Article

Read the text below.

Thousands of negotiators and observers representing most of the world’s nations gathered in Ottawa to craft a treaty to end the rapidly escalating problem of plastic pollution.


The scale of the plastics problem is daunting, but not for the volunteers collecting waste on a Cape Town beach.


Cleanup on this scale may be considered a drop in the oceans of plastic, but here it’s the message that counts as thousands of delegates representing scores of countries arrive for the International Plastics Negotiations in Ottawa, Canada, last month.


The aim is to craft a treaty to stop the rapidly escalating problem of plastic pollution, but no one expected that to happen in April, the UN has set the deadline for this towards the end of this year.


In March 2022, 175 nations agreed to make the first legally binding treaty on plastic pollution, including in the oceans, by the end of 2024.


Each day, the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic are dumped into the world’s oceans, rivers and lakes, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. People are increasingly breathing, eating and drinking tiny plastic particles.


Negotiators must streamline the existing treaty draft and decide its scope: whether it will focus on human health and the environment, whether it will limit the actual production of plastic, and whether it will restrict some chemicals used in plastics.


These are elements that a self-named “high-ambition coalition” of countries wants to see.


Alternatively, the agreement could have a more limited scope and focus on plastic waste and greater recycling, as some of the plastic-producing and oil and gas exporters want. It’s an extremely short timeline for negotiations, meant to match the urgency of the problem.


This is the fourth of five meetings of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution. Plastic production continues to ramp up globally and is projected to double or triple by 2050 if nothing changes.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • After reading the article, are you inspired to volunteer for initiatives in your country aimed at addressing plastic pollution, such as beach cleanups or advocacy campaigns? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think people can still do something to reduce the presence of small plastic particles in our environment or is it already too late for people to do something about it? Why do you say so? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • Plastic production continues to ramp up globally and if nothing changes, it is projected to double or triple by 2050. Do you think people can live without using any kind of plastic? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In what daily activities do you typically use plastics (ex. grocery shopping, eating and drinking)? What eco-friendly alternatives do you think could replace the plastics you’re using? Discuss.