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PLASTIC IS CHOKING OUR PLANET

From the deepest oceans to the food on our plates, plastic pollution has invaded every part of life on Earth.

It’s killing wildlife. It is poisoning ecosystems. It is contaminating the very air and water we depend on. 

And the problem is getting worse. Scientists have now found traces of plastic in human brains, lungs, placentas and blood.
TINY PARTICLES, GLOBAL PROBLEM

When plastic ends up in nature, it doesn’t disappear—it shatters into smaller and smaller pieces. These become micro- and nanoplastics. Almost invisible to the eye, and impossible to escape.

Plastics and their toxic chemical additives, harm not only ecosystems and wildlife, but could also harm human health.

In a 2025 literary synthesis, WWF, together with scientists from the University of Birmingham (UK), have looked at the most up to date research available on human health impacts of microplastics and associated chemicals - and the findings are alarming.

Studies have found that microplastics, and their toxic chemical additives, can lead serious health conditions, such as cancer, infertility, cardiovascular disease and lifelong developmental harm.

Plastic pollution is not just a global environmental crisis, it could threaten all life on our planet. 
 

READ THE LITERARY SYNTHESIS
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THE PLASTIC CRISIS IN NUMBERS

🌍 Every year, the world produces more than 430 million metric tonnes of plastic.

🧴 Over 90% of plastic pollution in marine environments is single-use plastics and microplastics.

🌊 Around 11 million tonnes of plastic pollution enter into our oceans every year.

📈 Despite national measures, plastic pollution continues to rise.

🔥 By 2040, plastic production could generate 19% of global greenhouse gas emissions if we don’t change course.

These numbers aren’t just statistics—they’re a warning. And they call for action at every level.

WHAT DOES A GOOD TREATY LOOK LIKE?

To ensure that world leaders deliver the treaty that people and nature need, WWF has identified four Must Haves that – as a starting point – states must secure at INC-5.2.

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WHY WE NEED A GLOBAL TREATY

Plastic pollution knows no borders, and no country can solve this crisis on their own.
To combat the growing global plastic crisis, governments agreed in 2022 to develop an international, legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution, to be finalised by the end of 2024. Countries were unable to agree a treaty within that timeframe and the next negotiations will take place in Geneva in August 2025. 
The next negotiations will be make or break for this treaty. World leaders must come together and agree on an ambitious and effective global treaty that regulates plastic across its entire lifecycle.
We need global action. The future of our planet depends on it.

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