UNEP is facilitating the talks, and Andersen mentioned that dialogues across, between, and among various regions and interest groups had generated momentum.

Plastic pollution is so widespread that microplastics have been detected on the highest mountain peaks, in the deepest ocean trench, and throughout nearly every part of the human body.

How did we get here, and what could be different this time?

Ecuadoran diplomat Luis Vayas Valdivieso, who is chairing the talks process, said an effective, fair and ambitious agreement was now within reach.

The group and its allies are pushing for a treaty “that reduces plastic production, eliminates toxic chemicals, and secures the necessary financing to transition to a fossil fuel, plastic-free future,” he said.

Greenpeace and its allies want a treaty that cuts plastic production and eliminates toxic chemicals. Source: AAP / EPA/Salvatore Di Nolfi

“The fossil fuel industry is here in force,” he noted, adding: “We cannot let a few countries determine humanity’s future when it comes to plastic pollution.”

How much plastic waste is produced every year?

To underscore the point, a replica of Auguste Rodin’s famous sculpture The Thinker outside the UN will gradually be submerged in accumulating plastic waste during the talks.

More than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally each year. Source: AAP / AP/Salvatore Di Nolfi

The artwork, entitled The Thinker’s Burden, is being constructed by the Canadian artist and activist Benjamin Von Wong.