Summary: Governments and non-governmental stakeholders will meet in Paris starting on Friday for the second of five negotiating sessions on a treaty addressing the global plastic pollution crisis. Comments below from Duke University expert Rachel Karasik are available for use in your coverage.
Quotes:
“With the rate of plastic production doubling every dozen or so years, and the effects on human and environmental health becoming more evident, U.N. Environment Assembly member states made history last year when they agreed to develop a globally binding treaty to address plastic pollution,” says Rachel Karasik, senior policy associate at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability.
“This upcoming meeting will largely focus on finalizing organizational matters to enable drafting of the treaty’s text — procedures that were delayed by certain parties during the first negotiating session. Further delays could jeopardize achieving the goal of reaching an agreement by the end of 2024.”
“It will also be important to see the extent to which independent science and the interests of those most affected by and vulnerable to the impacts of plastic pollution are represented during this session. Non-governmental stakeholders have expressed concern that they are being prevented from joining the dialogues given restrictive capacity in the facility where the negotiations will take place.”
Bio:
Rachel Karasik is a senior policy associate at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability. Karasik specializes in the global plastics policy landscape, socioeconomic outcomes of coastal restoration, and equity in environmental management. She co-led the development of the Plastics Policy Inventory, a searchable database of nearly 900 public policies targeting plastic pollution from around the world.
For additional comment, contact Rachel Karasik at:
rachel.karasik@duke.edu
—
Media Contact:
Jeremy Ashton
jeremy.ashton@duke.edu
_ _ _ _
Duke experts on a variety of topics can be found here.
Follow Duke News on Twitter: @DukeNews