Delegates from 184 nations began a second week of negotiations in Geneva aimed at drafting the world’s first legally binding treaty to curb plastic pollution. Roughly 3,700 participants are working toward a text they hope to finalise by Thursday, but diplomats say hundreds of issues remain unresolved. European Commissioner for the environment Jessika Roswall called the slow pace “concerning,” while UN Environment Programme chief Inger Andersen insisted an agreement is still “within grasp.” The talks unfold against a stark reminder outside the UN campus: Canadian artist and activist Benjamin Von Wong is daily adding discarded bottles, toys and other trash to his six-metre (18-foot) installation, “Thinker’s Burden.” The sculpture—modelled on Rodin’s renowned figure but perched on a globe—will be almost entirely submerged in waste by week’s end, symbolising the mounting cost of inaction. The Minderoo Foundation helped fund the project. Negotiators are also weighing new scientific warnings. A medical review published in The Lancet estimates plastic pollution imposed at least US$1.5 trillion in global health costs in 2023, linking micro- and macro-plastics to illness and premature death across all age groups. Researchers urged delegates to seize the moment for a binding accord, noting that global plastic production, which hit 475 million tonnes in 2022, is on track to triple by 2060 unless strong measures are adopted.