According to estimates, from 18 to 20 percent of world plastic waste enters the ocean. At the UN conference, the global campaign to combat pollution of plastic is gaining momentum Fabrice Robin The climate and the environment is behind closed doors, in a dome-shaped conference pavilion a few steps from the historical port of Nice, more than 40 ministers gathered on Tuesday. The meeting participants discussed one of the fastest growing environmental threats on the planet – pollution with plastic. 62 ~Among the cameras and noise of the third UN conference in the oceans held in the coastal French city, the ministers expressed general determination to complete the work on the global agreement this year, which for the first time can regulate the use of plastic throughout its life cycle. & Amp; nbsp; Joti Matur-Philipp, who heads negotiations on the text of the agreement. -This is a too acute question to leave it for the future. “& Amp; nbsp; informal meeting organized by INger Andersen, the head of the UN Environment (UNUP) UN program, indicates that after two years of discussion of politics, they finally began to divide the alarm of the scientific community. & Amp; nbsp; ahead of the negotiations, which is expected to be 5-14 August in Geneva. It is assumed that this year the first legally binding contract will be concluded, aimed at combating plastic pollution at all stages of production, consumption and waste disposal. & Amp; nbsp; 62 > 62 > 62 > 62 > 62 > 62 > 62 > 62 ~ 62Crisis accelerating in the eyes Plastic waste penetrated into almost all Earth ecosystems, and more and more often – in the form of microplasty – enter the human body. According to the UN, without taking urgent measures, the amount of plastic in the ocean in 2040 can reach 37 million tons. & Amp; NBSP; “We are suffocating from plastic,” said Joti Matur-Philipp. – If we do not do anything to combat it, we will not have a single non -triumph ecosystem, ground or sea. ” In the period from 2016 to 2040, economic damage associated with plastic can reach 281 trillion dollars. “Pollution with plastic & nbsp; it costs the economy very expensive,” said the matur-films, “we see this in the field of tourism, when harvesting beaches, in the form of damage caused by the coast and water-weapon lands “. & nbsp; Joti Matur-Philipp, executive secretary of the intergovernmental committee on negotiations on pollution of plastic. disproportionate load Although pollution with plastic is a global problem, some countries – especially small island developing states – carry a disproportionately large load. & Amp; nbsp; “Small island developing states do not use plastic in the volume that settles on their shores. Nevertheless, they have to regularly clean the beaches, ”said Matur-Philipp. – They suffer unfairly. ” Since then, the intergovernmental negotiation committee has gathered in less than two years five times, which has been an unusually high speed according to the UN standards. & Amp; NBSP; “From December 2022 to December 2024, we spent five sessions at a very intense pace,” Matur-Filipp. & Amp; nbsp; the key breakthrough occurred six months ago in the last Raunde of negotiations in Pusan, South Korea. The delegates have prepared a 22-page document that sets out the main structure of the draft agreement. & Amp; nbsp; “Now countries as a whole can imagine & nbsp; how this agreement will look like,” said Joti Matur-Philipp. – They have already begun to discuss this document to be post -& NBSP; therefore, I hope that the contract will be concluded. “& Amp; nbsp; the draft agreement includes measures that will touch the total & nbsp; the life cycle & nbsp; plastic – from production to waste disposal. Both mandatory and voluntary provisions will be laid in it.