Over 15 million tonnes of plastic have leaked into the ocean since the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee sessions began in 2022. The fourth session (INC-4) marked a crucial juncture in the development of a global plastics treaty. However, stakeholders leave disappointed as the negotiations conclude in Ottawa, Canada. The reduction of plastic production, a key provision, was omitted from the mandate of further technical discussions.
Plastics in various forms in the sea, and their effects on the environment, have been the subject of much research and debate. But nanoplastics - pieces so small we can't see them with the naked eye - are less well known. A research team that has investigated these particles can now conclude that plastic has been in the polar ice cap for a long time
