With the bang of a gavel made of recycled plastic and a standing ovation, representatives of 175 nations agreed on Wednesday to begin writing a global treaty that would restrict the explosive Growth of plastic pollution.
Theagreement commits nationsto work on a broad and legally binding treaty that would not only aim to improve recycling and clean up the worlds plastic waste, but would encompass curbs on plastics production itself. That could put measures like a ban on single-use plastics, a major driver of waste, on the table.