Search the SPREP Catalogue

Many INC-2 delegated indicated that the scope of the treaty should include plastics alternative and substitutes. However there are no internationally agreed definitions of plastics alternatives nor plastics substitutes. Sound definitions will support fully informed treaty negotiations.

This factsheet is intended to support fully informed global plastics treaty negotiations by clarifying the terminology used to describe plastics as polymers or materials and not plastics as products.

Plastic removal technologies (PRTs) promise to improve environmental quality by removing plastics from the environment but they can also threaten biodiversity. Almost no environmental impact assessments (EIAs) are done on PRTs.

The ever-increasing discharges and accumulation of microplastics in the environment is a serious global concern. Microplastics are found in polar ice caps, at the top of mountains, in soil, freshwater systems and all ocean basins, from the surface to the deep sea.

To deliver an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) to end plastic pollution will require mobilising substantial financial resources from a variety of sources to achieve its objective. This may include leveraging new multilateral finance from developed (donor) countries developing (recipient) countries party to the new agreement, accessing existing multilateral and bilateral finance and ensuring flows of private sector finance.

Sea-based marine plastic pollution is roughly estimated to comprise around 20% of all marine plastic pollution and represents a major threat to marine ecosystem. However, sea-based marine plastic pollution has not been sufficiently addressed to date representing a significant gap in global governance.

Reuse is a key component of the 3Rs + return (reduce, reuse and recycle) approach to reducing pollution but it has not yet been fully embraced in policy despite its reference in the Sustainable Development Goals.

Early action on adaptation and mitigation will be beneficial in both the near and long term, reducing climate risks for humans and ecosystems. Adaptation actions will benefit Pacific islanders through reduced vulnerability but cannot prevent all losses and damages.

Global warming will increase in the near term, with estimates of reaching 1.5° C in the early 2030s. Pacific island countries and territories (PICTs) have continually advocated to limit warming to below 1.5°C as the climate impacts beyond this level are particularly severe for Pacific islanders.

The scientific evidence is clear: Climate change is a threat to human well-being and planetary health. There is a rapidly closing window for action to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all. We collectively have sufficient knowledge, tools and global capital available to address the challenges. The choices and actions we take now will have impacts for thousands of years.