Delegates from nearly 180 countries have convened in Geneva for the sixth and likely final round of United Nations negotiations aimed at establishing a legally binding global treaty to curb plastic pollution. The talks address the escalating health and environmental crisis caused by plastics, which are linked to disease, disability, and death throughout their lifecycle. According to The Lancet, plastic production has surged from 2 megatonnes in 1950 to 475 megatonnes in 2022 and is projected to reach 1,200 megatonnes by 2060. The health-related economic losses attributed to plastic pollution exceed $1.5 trillion annually. Despite growing evidence of plastics’ harms to human health and nature, the negotiations face substantial challenges due to opposition from petrochemical-producing countries, including the United States, which has urged nations to reject caps on plastic production. The Trump administration has specifically advised countries against endorsing production limits in the treaty. Oil-producing nations advocate for voluntary pledges rather than binding restrictions, while the European Union and island nations press for strict production caps. The current treaty draft contains over 370 unresolved points, reflecting deep divisions among participants. African countries are seeking to present a unified position amid these pressures. The World Health Organization has called for health considerations to be central to the treaty. The negotiations are under a tight deadline, with the president of the intergovernmental negotiating committee emphasizing the need to finalize an agreement by August 14. The treaty aims to address the full lifecycle of plastics, although the U.S. has proposed removing this objective from the draft. The talks occur against a backdrop of increasing plastic pollution projected to triple by 2040, threatening ecosystems and public health globally.