It was certainly disappointing that the UN negotiations for a global treaty on plastics pollution collapsed without an agreement. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and a number of other petrostates would not budge from their long-standing refusal to agree measures that address the production of plastic, agreeing only to waste management. It is not clear when negotiations … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, August 17-18, 2025
Category: plastic pollution
Progress towards a legally binding global treaty on plastics pollution stalled and went into reverse this week
In an article on The Conversation website, Melanie MacGregor, ARC Future Fellow and Matthew Flinders Fellow in Chemistry, Flinders University gives her views on what happened in Geneva the last two weeks. The global plastics treaty process has fallen flat. Here’s what went wrong, and how you can help Progress towards a legally binding … Continue reading Progress towards a legally binding global treaty on plastics pollution stalled and went into reverse this week
UN plastics treaty talks fail after US joins petrostates in blocking action
Writing on the Climate Home News website, Matteo Civillini discusses the collapse of the final round of UN talks to reach a legally binding global treaty on plastic pollution after three years of negotiations, dealing a blow to multilateral decision-making. The UN talks ran into overtime, ending with a standoff over whether a treaty should … Continue reading UN plastics treaty talks fail after US joins petrostates in blocking action
Energy in Demand News, August 10-11, 2025
GHG emissions are “going through the roof” because of AI, according to an article on the New York Times website that explains how Big Tech’s net-zero goals are looking shaky. “Google’s greenhouse gas emissions rose by 11 percent in 2024 from the year before. Amazon’s were up by 6 percent. Microsoft’s fell slightly but remained … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, August 10-11, 2025
Remembering why developing an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution is necessary
Over 180 countries are now meeting in Geneva. The UN meeting is the culmination of several years of negotiating. In theory, delegates will agree on a global treaty by August 15. In an article on The Conversation website, Cat Acheson, Research Associate, School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh; Alice Street, Senior Lecturer … Continue reading Remembering why developing an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution is necessary
Pioneering the use of theatre, music and visual arts to research issues around plastic pollution
The global plastics treaty negotiations meeting this week remain on a knife edge. In an article on The Conversation website, Cressida Bowyer, Associate Professor in Arts and Sustainability, University of Portsmouth and Erika Hughes, Professor of Theatre for Social Change, University of Portsmouth discuss how creative arts can disrupt this process and bring about a … Continue reading Pioneering the use of theatre, music and visual arts to research issues around plastic pollution
Tethered caps on single-use plastic bottles are a refreshing idea to reduce littering
In an article on The Conversation website, Randa Lindsey Kachef, Lecturer in Geography, King's College London discusses why we now are required in Europe to have single-use bottles with caps that remain attached. Why plastic bottles now have their caps attached You may have bought a drink recently and noticed something odd: the once … Continue reading Tethered caps on single-use plastic bottles are a refreshing idea to reduce littering
The US government has told campaigners that it will push for a new global treaty on plastic waste to limit the production of plastics rather than just encouraging measures like recycling
In an article on the Climate Home News website, Joe Lo writes about the US government’s shift in its position on plastic pollution. The shift sparked accusations of betrayal from the plastics industry and celebrations from environmental campaigners and a Pacific negotiator. US turns against plastic producers, boosting hopes for ambitious treaty After two … Continue reading The US government has told campaigners that it will push for a new global treaty on plastic waste to limit the production of plastics rather than just encouraging measures like recycling
The energy giant Shell promised to turn 1m tonnes of plastic waste into oil each year, but now says goal is unfeasible
Dharna Noor writes on the Guardian website about Shell’s decision to roll back on the promise to increase “advanced recycling” of plastics. The company said the walk-back was necessary due to changes in the market. Also, slow technology development has indeed been a factor in the advanced recycling market. Many feel Shell made a wise … Continue reading The energy giant Shell promised to turn 1m tonnes of plastic waste into oil each year, but now says goal is unfeasible
New EEA monitoring tool and briefing on plastics circularity
Plastics production and consumption patterns across Europe remain unsustainable and need to be made more circular to reduce waste, pollution, climate change and other negative impacts on the environment according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing published this week. The briefing also highlights the introduction of a new monitoring tool where people, policy makers … Continue reading New EEA monitoring tool and briefing on plastics circularity
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 