Scientists have warned governments against delaying action on plastic pollution, stressing that waiting for a binding Global Plastics Treaty could cost the world several more years of environmental damage while plastic waste continues to grow unchecked.
In a new article published in Nature Reviews: Earth & Environment Antaya March, director of the Global Plastics Policy Centre at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom, argued that although international negotiations remain stalled, governments already have the policy tools needed to confront the plastics crisis and should use them immediately.
The most recent negotiations under the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, known as INC-5.2, ended without agreement in August. As talks remain deadlocked, plastic pollution continues to spread rapidly across land, rivers and oceans, worsening impacts on ecosystems, livelihoods and human health.
“The treaty delay must not become an excuse for inaction,” March said. “Plastic pollution is growing every year. Governments cannot afford to wait for perfect global consensus when effective solutions already exist and are being implemented in several countries.”
The article highlights that comprehensive national plastics strategies can deliver meaningful progress even in the absence of a global agreement. Well-designed national plans can align government ministries, coordinate stakeholders, mobilise financing and ensure countries are better prepared to implement a future treaty when it eventually materialises.
The authors also emphasise that plastic pollution should be recognised as a serious public health issue, not merely an environmental one. A growing body of evidence links plastics and their associated chemicals to cancer, respiratory diseases and endocrine disruption. Estimates cited by the University of Portsmouth suggest that the global health-related economic costs of plastic pollution may exceed US$1.5 trillion annually.
According to the researchers, framing plastics as a health crisis could strengthen public awareness and increase political pressure for faster and more ambitious regulation.
“This moment should be viewed as an opportunity rather than a pause,” said co-author Sam Winton from the Revolution Plastics Institute at the University of Portsmouth. “Governments and communities can demonstrate leadership now through national planning, strong policies and local action, while positioning themselves to act decisively when a global treaty finally comes into force.”
Plastic pollution, the article concludes, cannot wait for slow international negotiations. Immediate action at national, regional and local levels is essential to curb the escalating crisis.