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Decision: Building a regime complex for marine plastic pollution — R0/PR5
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This paper examines the challenge of negotiating a strong international treaty to govern the full lifecycle of plastics, from production to disposal. The authors argue that the current fragmented regime of overlapping agreements is insufficient and call for a unified, binding global plastics treaty. The paper offers strategic insights for diplomats and researchers involved in the UN plastics treaty negotiations.
The negotiations for a new treaty to govern the 'full lifecycle' of plastics face a major challenge: designing a strong treaty, quickly, that is acceptable to most of the international community of states. Although diplomats play a critical role in accomplishing this task, scholars and researchers represent a critical network of support, especially on the topic of treaty design. This article outlines a research agenda focused on the new treaty as part of a larger 'regime complex,' where the interfaces between the new treaty and existing agreements will strongly shape its efficacy, efficiency, and acceptance by states. It also begins to pursue this research agenda, by investigating the relationship between the ocean governance regime, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the emerging plastics treaty. The article illustrates that the ocean governance regime offers important normative foundations, institutional models, lessons about treaty language, and possibilities for institutional linkage that can inform the design of the plastics treaty. It concludes by identifying several other avenues of useful research on the nascent plastics regime complex.
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Building a regime complex for marine plastic pollution
AI summary Read the abstract
This analysis examines the challenge of designing a strong and widely acceptable international treaty to govern the full lifecycle of plastics, arguing that scholars and researchers have an important role to play alongside diplomats in shaping an effective regime complex for marine plastic pollution. The paper draws on regime theory to identify pathways toward durable governance.
Marine plastic pollution governance: the role and challenges of international law
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A review of international legal frameworks for marine plastic pollution finds current governance fragmented and inadequate, calling for a lifecycle-based international legal regime to address the full chain of plastic production, use, and disposal. Strengthening international law is essential for systemic microplastic reduction, as ocean connectivity means that plastic—and the microplastics it becomes—cannot be managed effectively by individual nations alone.
Dilemma in global governance of marine plastic pollution and regulatory coordination: convention reconstruction via integrated international law
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This legal analysis examined fragmented international governance of marine plastic pollution across 17 instruments including UNCLOS, MARPOL, and regional conventions, identifying a gap between soft law priorities and binding enforcement for microplastics. The authors proposed an integrated umbrella convention framework with specialized protocols to align the Global Plastic Treaty with existing agreements and establish enforceable plastic production caps.
An International Legal Framework for Marine Plastics Pollution
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This legal analysis reviews the current international framework for regulating marine plastics and identifies significant gaps and inconsistencies across treaties and agreements. The chapter argues that stronger, more unified global legal instruments are needed to effectively reduce plastic pollution in the world's oceans.
Desafios e perspectivas no enfrentamento da poluição marinha por plástico sob a ótica das negociações do acordo global juridicamente vinculante
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This research examined the prospects for tackling marine plastic pollution through negotiations on a globally legally binding plastic agreement under UNEP auspices. The study concluded that while the treaty represents a significant advance over existing fragmented frameworks, significant challenges remain due to contradictory options in the draft text and difficulties reaching global consensus on binding provisions.
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