University joins delegates at final round of Global Plastics Treaty negotiations

Plymouth-based researchers will be meeting with world leaders and scientists at INC-5 in South Korea
Dr Max Kelly, Professor Richard Thompson, Florence Parker-Jurd, Dr Francesca De Falco at INC-5
From left: Dr Max Kelly, Professor Richard Thompson, Florence Parker-Jurd, Dr Francesca De Falco at INC-5
A delegation from the University of Plymouth has arrived in Busan, South Korea, to join the final round of negotiations linked to the Global Plastics Treaty.
Members of the University’s International Marine Litter Research Unit are among those present at the fifth session of the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5).
They will be observing the discussions as they unfold this week, and also meeting with other scientists and delegates from all over the world.
Having been involved in around 200 studies into the causes and effects of plastic pollution, and some of the solutions being proposed, they will also be supporting calls for any agreements to be grounded in – and monitored using – robust scientific evidence.
The University has been participating in the presence since the outset, with its expertise also having influenced the initial agreement that led to rounds of negotiations taking place.
The Plymouth delegation at INC-5 comprises Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS , Head of the International Marine Litter Research Unit , Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Dr Francesca De Falco , Research Fellow Dr Max Kelly , and Associate Research Fellow Mrs Florence Parker-Jurd .

Over the past two decades, we have made significant strides in understanding the sources of plastic and microplastic pollution, the threats they pose, and that they have reached every part of our planet.

Science has also highlighted that, in some instances, plastics bring societal and environmental benefit. This emphasises the importance of responsible design, production and consumption so that we can realise essential benefits without the current unsustainable levels of harm. Reaching a worldwide consensus on any issue is never going to be simple, but the upcoming negotiations in Busan represent a once-in-a-planet opportunity to take the scientific evidence we have generated and use it as a mandate for global action.

Richard Thompson OBE FRSProfessor Richard Thompson OBE FRS
Director of the Marine Institute

Ahead of the negotiations getting underway, researchers from the University lent their support to a declaration developed by the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty, of which Professor Thompson is a co-coordinator.
The declaration urges world leaders to reach an agreement based on the evidence science has provided, but that also delivers global, legally binding obligations applied across the full life cycle of plastics.
It has been signed by around 20 signatories linked to the University, or with close links to it – one of the largest representations from any organisation worldwide.
Reflecting the University’s whole-system approach to addressing plastic and microplastic pollution, the signatories also represent disciplines including marine science, chemistry, environmental science, psychology, and the social sciences.
 

Read more about our International Marine Litter Research unit

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