Stop Trump From Weakening the Global Plastics Treaty

Plastic pollution is choking our oceans, contaminating our bodies, and piling up around the world.

And it’s also fueling the climate crisis.

The overwhelming majority of plastic is made from chemicals derived from petroleum or other fossil fuels. Producing it requires extracting and processing fossil fuels, manufacturing petrochemicals, and ultimately disposing of mountains of plastic waste — generating climate pollution at every step along the way.

The climate stakes are enormous. Plastics generated about 1.8 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas pollution in 2019 — roughly 3.4% of global emissions — with about 90% coming from their production and conversion from fossil fuels. And as demand for gasoline and other fuels changes, the fossil fuel industry is increasingly counting on petrochemicals, including plastics, to help drive future oil demand.

Yet the Trump administration is reportedly using American diplomatic power to undermine one of the world's biggest opportunities to confront this growing threat.

According to a leaked State Department memo obtained by The Washington Post, the United States is pressuring other countries to support a weaker global plastics treaty. The administration opposes limits on plastic production and restrictions on certain chemicals, while negotiators have also pushed to weaken or remove proposed requirements for countries to report their plastic production and consumption.

It is even pushing for a sweeping national-security exemption that could create another enormous loophole in the agreement.

This would be another Trump administration gift to the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries.

Allowing plastic production to keep growing unchecked could lock in more fossil fuel demand, more petrochemical infrastructure, and more climate pollution for decades.

Recycling alone won't solve this problem. We cannot keep producing ever-increasing quantities of plastic and expect communities and ecosystems to clean up the mess afterward. Plastic pollution and climate change know no borders. Confronting these global threats requires countries to work together — and the United States should be leading that effort, not undermining it.

Tell Secretary of State Marco Rubio: Stop obstructing strong global action on plastic pollution.

The petition to Secretary Rubio reads: Stop using U.S. diplomatic power to weaken the global plastics treaty. Support a strong, legally binding agreement that reduces plastic production, limits dangerous chemicals, rejects sweeping loopholes, and tackles the climate pollution caused by plastics throughout their lifecycle. The world cannot solve the plastics crisis — or the climate crisis — while allowing fossil fuel companies to produce ever-growing quantities of plastic.

_______

Source:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2026/08/24/leaked-memo-shows-how-us-aims-weaken-global-limits-plastic-pollution/

Photo: Coke bottle in Ocean credit NOAA