TALKS began in South Korea this week aimed at closing a legally binding treaty on plastics pollution led by the United Nations Environment Program. The talks follow two years of intergovernmental negotiations to develop a legally binding global instrument that covers land and the marine environment.

'Our world is drowning in plastic pollution. Every year, we produce 460 million tons of plastic, much of which is quickly thrown away,' UN Secretary General António Guterres said via video message as he urged delegates to push for a deal.