How [Not] to Make a Plastics Treaty - Nothing is Agreed Until Everything is Agreed

How [Not] to Make a Plastics Treaty - Nothing is Agreed Until Everything is Agreed

Author: Anja Krieger May 8, 2025 Duration: 57:03
When the plastics treaty negotiations in South Korea ended without a result last December, media reports suggested they had failed. But not so fast - the negotiations are far from over, and continue this year. In this episode, you'll get an update on where we stand on the path to a global plan to tackle plastic pollution - and what’s to come. You'll hear from three of the smartest observers of the process: Magnus Lovold from NAIL, the Norwegian Academy of International Law, Chris Dixon from EIA, the Environmental Investigation Agency, and Andrés Del Castillo from CIEL, the Center for International Environmental Law. Oh, and for the first time, there's an extra little track at the end of the episode. Don't miss it, it's lovely! And a call for support: To travel and stay in Geneva for two weeks will be super expensive. So please help me (Anja, host of this pod) get there if you can. Every contribution helps, no matter how small. You’ll help me continue my work: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/plastispherepod Credits: Thanks to Dorian Roy for the theme, Blue Dot Session for additional music, Maren von Stockhausen for the cover art, and the UNEP team for allowing me to use the excerpts from the conference videos.

Anja Krieger hosts Plastisphere: A podcast on plastic pollution in the environment, a series that digs into the complex story of synthetic polymers. This isn't just a catalog of environmental damage, though that reality is confronted directly. Instead, the podcast carefully examines how these materials, foundational to contemporary life, now permeate every corner of the natural world and our own bodies. Anja guides listeners through a nuanced exploration, asking whether a sustainable coexistence is even possible. She doesn't provide easy answers but facilitates necessary conversations, bringing together researchers, activists, industry insiders, and communities on the front lines. Each episode is built on specific stories and scientific insights, moving from the deep ocean to human bloodstreams to policy halls. You'll hear about the chemistry of plastics, their journey as waste, and the cultural and economic systems that perpetuate their use. The strength of this podcast lies in its commitment to presenting a genuine spectrum of perspectives, avoiding simple blame in favor of understanding a truly global dilemma. It’s a thoughtful, sometimes surprising, and always human-centered look at one of the most defining material challenges of our time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Plastisphere: A podcast on plastic pollution in the environment
Podcast Episodes
How [Not] to Make a Plastics Treaty - What really happened in Geneva? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:25
After 11 days of talks between 180 nations in the middle of a heatwave, the final session dragged late into the night. The next morning we learned that the plastics treaty talks had - again - ended without an agreement t…
The Youth Movement at the Plastics Treaty Talks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:11
Dejea Lyons and Shellan Saling from the Youth Plastic Action Network leave no doubt: To save the Plastics Treaty process and get to a meaningful agreement, serious sh*** needs to happen! Listen to Shellan's statement at…
Fact-check your assumptions: Become a plastic mythbuster! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:59
The Plastic Mythbusters project is a collaboration between the Helmholtz Centre Hereon and the University of Strathclyde. Try our quiz and learn more in our detailed answers. You can also send us new claims to check or c…