The fifth and final session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) negotiations to agree on a global treaty addressing plastics pollution concluded without a deal. The draft text released on December 1st exposed deep divisions between the majority of nations advocating for comprehensive, legally binding regulations across the entire plastics lifecycle and a minority of countries resistant to such measures.

“They have a text now with a lot of brackets, including binding measures across the plastic lifecycle and voluntary targets for reducing plastic production and consumption … so there’s still no agreement on the core issues,” says Eirik Lindebjerg, global plastics policy lead at WWF. Without consensus, further negotiations—dubbed INC 5.2—have become the most likely possibility, but there is uncertainty over if and when this initiative will deliver on its goals. The INC process was always an ambitious goal on an aggressive timeline. However, the failure to reach an agreement has still dealt a blow to the many countries pushing for a binding treaty to be signed in South Korea.

The need for carbon-free energy is pressing, but society must progress with information that ensures we are developing sources that are themselves environmentally responsible and sustainable.

The ocean and its ecosystems are facing unprecedented challenges from climate change which is heating both land and sea to record levels. According to NOAA research forecasts, 40% of the global ocean is experiencing marine heatwave conditions and that figure is expected to remain high through the end of 2023. These anomalously warm ocean temperatures have significant impacts on marine life and coastal communities and economies, bleaching coral reefs, creating conditions that can favor harmful algal blooms and decreasing the productivity of cold water ecosystems like those off California and other upwelling zones that harbor whales, salmon and lush kelp forests. Continued observational monitoring helps marine managers and researchers understand and mitigate climate impacts on marine life, but ocean data is also critical when looking to the ocean for climate solutions, including offshore wind and other technologies to generate renewable ocean energy.