Sam Harrison

A crowd watching a band perform on the shores of a lake, with the sun rising behind

Les Aubes - a series of free concerts every morning during summer from 6-7am on Bains des Pâquis. Completely free and the best bit is you can watch whilst enjoying your morning swim!

#INC5.2 #PlasticsTreaty #GlobalPlasticsTreaty

I escaped from the madness of #INC5.2 and Geneva with a day trip across the border to the Chamonix valley today. The (literal) high point of my walk was Lac de la Perseverance (photo 3), which seems a very suitably named lake to visit right now!

#GlobalPlasticsTreaty #PlasticsTreaty

"We have to think about who we're solving this problem for: the next generation & the environments we depend on."

Ben von Wong's brilliant, innovative art calling is calling on the world to #BeatPlasticPollution. Great to catch up with him at #INC5.2 as we continue negotiations on a #PlasticsTreaty

Today and tomorrow are crucial days, with tomorrow seeing a stock-taking plenary where it will become clearer how successful the bridging has been - what compromises have been made and what divergences remain.

#GlobalPlasticsTreaty #GlobalPlasticTreaty #INC5.2 #PlasticsTreaty #PlasticTreaty

🌍 There is strong support amongst member states and other delegates for a high-ambition Treaty. High ambition has the clear majority, though this obviously does not mean much if consensus is required.

🙋 There are rumours of strong support (around 120 countries) for an Article 20 (Conference of the Parties) that allows for majority voting (with 2/3rds threshold) if consensus cannot be reached.

But there are reasons for hope:
🤝 Reports from informal negotiations (closed to observers) hint at positive bridging proposals to bring negotiations back on track, particularly around Articles 3 (plastic products), 5 (product design), 7 (release and leakages) and 8 (plastic waste management).

Global producer responsibility for plastic pollution Branded plastic pollution is caused primarily by the largest producers of single-use and short-lived plastics.

⚠️ We have heard some serious disinformation, including that there is no link between plastic production and pollution (there is: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...) and that chemicals of concern are already well regulated in other agreements and out of scope (they are not: ikhapp.org/wp-content/u...)

🗑️ A small but vocal group of countries has since been pushing the message (and inserting the text) that this is a Treaty only about waste management, despite UNEA 5/14 mandating negotiation of a Treaty that is "based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastic".

Why don't I think they are going well?

❌ Right from the opening plenary, Saudi Arabia objected to the presence of Article 6 on plastic production. Any hopes of a softening of the stance of the like minded group since INC-5.1 were straight out of the window.

Some reflections on the first few days of #INC5.2 negotations in Geneva, towards a #GlobalPlasticsTreaty.

Are the negotiations going well? Frankly, not really, though there are reasons for hope 👇

@ukceh.bsky.social
#PlasticsTreaty #PlasticTreaty #GlobalPlasticTreaty

Chemical pollution a threat comparable to climate change, scientists warn More than 100 million ‘novel entity’ chemicals are in circulation, with health impact not widely recognised

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

#INC5.2 is go!

Insightful screening of Homo Plasticus: Plastic Inside Us this evening, followed by an equally as insightful panel discussion. Lots of emerging evidence of the real health risks plastics pose to society, underpinning the need for a strong #GlobalPlasticsTreaty

#INC5.2 #PlasticsTreaty

A couple of pertinent points:
🔬 There is already *more than enough* science indicating that we need decisive action now
🧖‍♂️ It shouldn't be up to consumers to be vigilant to the presence of toxic chemicals in consumer products - they shouldn't be there

Panel discussion on "science and research for an effective instrument": strong support for science-based decisions free of conflicts of interest, and a need for transparency in not just Treaty processes, but the data needed to support it.

#INC5.2 #PlasticsTreaty
@bcarneyalmroth.bsky.social

Details and pictures of the four UKCEH scientists attending the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations under the heading Meet the UKCEH team at INC5.2

🌍 Advancing science to end plastic pollution:
UKCEH scientists are at the final Global Plastics Treaty talks this week as official Observers—ensuring negotiations are shaped by scientific evidence and expertise.

#PlasticsTreaty #INC5

🧵🧪 1/

#INC5.2 Conversation with Observers starts with @ingerandersen.bsky.social highlighting that UNEA 5/14 mandated negotiations for a strong #PlasticsTreaty considering the full lifecycle of plastics, with safe and sustainable production.

#GlobalPlasticsTreaty

World in $1.5tn ‘plastics crisis’ hitting health from infancy to old age, report warns Plastic production has increased more than 200 times since 1950 and hits health at every stage from extraction to disposal, says review in the Lancet

Plastic is often seen as a cheap material but scientists in The Lancet argue it is expensive when including damage to health

One estimate of the health damage from just three plastic chemicals – PBDE, BPA and DEHP – in 38 countries was $1.5tn a year.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The Lancet Countdown on health and plastics Plastics are a grave, growing, and under-recognised danger to human and planetary health. Plastics cause disease and death from infancy to old age and are responsible for health-related economic losse...

"Plastics cause disease and death from infancy to old age and are responsible for health-related economic losses exceeding US$1·5 trillion annually"

#INC5.2 #PlasticsTreaty #GlobalPlasticsTreaty

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

⚠️ Safe levels in the environment are likely to be exceeded; plastic is persistent, so continued emissions will increase envrionmental concentrations.
♻️ Waste management alone is not enough. Meaningful reductions in plastic pollution require caps on primary plastic production.

🧪 Chemical additives and plastic associated chemicals must be included.
🌳 Plastic emissions are greater to soils and freshwater than to ocean, especially if considering tyre wear.
📉 The success of the Treaty relies on monitoring to track progress and successes.

I'm on my way to Geneva for #INC5.2 - the final session for nations to negotiate a #GlobalPlasticsTreaty

As the negotiations near their final stage, it is now more than ever crucial that decisions are grouded in science. The @ukceh.bsky.social delegation is going with five key messages 👇

The Consensus Syndrome An effective treaty on plastic pollution will require countries to break the long-standing spell of consensus — and finally put decisions to a vote.

1/2 Important read ahead of #INC5.2 negotiations for a global #PlasticsTreaty: „In an era when governments with vested interests increasingly sabotage collective action, it is vital to demonstrate that a determined majority can still make international law.
backchannel1.substack.com/p/the-consen...

❓ Are you joining INC-5.2 and looking for an independent scientist to help understand a topic or get the latest data?

🙋🏼‍♂️🙋🏻‍♀️ Over 50 of our scientists are here in Geneva to help – come talk to us!

👩🏽‍🔬 Get an overview of Scientists’ Coalition members at INC-5.2
➡️ drive.google.com/file/d/1aESm...

Global plastic pollution treaty essential to tackle growing health risks to all life on earth - University of Birmingham University of Birmingham and WWF release new report highlighting potential health risks of micro- and nanoplastics.

New report from @wwf.de and @unibirmingham.bsky.social highlighting the potential health risks of micro- and nanoplastics. #INC5.2 #GlobalPlasticsTreaty www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/2025/gl...

The paper comes from the EU Horizon Europe #GreenPharma project ETERNAL, which is pioneering research in making pharmaceuticals more environmentally sustainable.

@ukceh.bsky.social

But there is room for improvement, through better consideration of:
🧪 Mixtures
🐛 Non-conventional endpoints, such as behavioural effects
🖥️ Environmental heterogeneity and change, such as the impact of temperature and pH on risk

The European Commission's proposed new Regulation and Directive:
❌ Gives regulators the power to refuse market authorisation based on un-mitigated environmental risk
📅 Requires that legacy (pre-2006) pharmaceuticals undergo an environmental risk assessment
🔁 Covers the full product lifecycle

Continuous improvement towards environmental protection for pharmaceuticals: advancing a strategy for Europe - Environmental Sciences Europe The manufacture, use and disposal of pharmaceutical products can lead to their release into the environment, raising concerns about potential risks to biota and human health. This is recognised in the...

📢 Hot off the press! 📢

#Pharmaceutical legislation in the EU is going through changes. In this article, we talk about these changes in the context of environmental risk assessment, offering thoughts on how environmental protection could be strengthened.

enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10....