187 nations sign plastic waste agreement, US not one of them...

The Hill

Nearly every country in the world agreed to a treaty aimed at limiting plastic waste pollution, but the U.S. was not among them, as it has not ratified a treaty to which the provision was added.

The governments of 187 countries agreed to add plastic to the United Nations-supported Basel Convention, which regulates the transfer of certain materials between borders, CNN reported Saturday.

The U.S. did not participate in the talks regarding plastic because it is one of just two countries that has not ratified the treaty, according to CNN. Even though the U.S. did not ratify the treaty, its trades with countries that have approved the deal will be affected.

According to ABC News, several industries will be affected by the move, including health care, technology, food and fashion.

"It's sending a very strong political signal to the rest of the world — to the private sector, to the consumer market — that we need to do something," Rolph Payet of the United Nations Environment Program told ABC. "Countries have decided to do something which will translate into real action on the ground."

He also said it would create a "transparent and traceable system for the export and import of plastic waste."

Of course they won't. Not when we have a president that thinks climate change is a Chinese hoax.

Of course we did not sign it. I've thoroughly given up on the public servants of this country serving the public.

All we can do is hope that A.) doing the right thing is not expensive, and B.) the private sector will pick up the slack.

I'd be a terrible politician, though, so I can't speak.... probably a green tyrant. "Oh, you want to use regular plastic utensils instead of compostable ones? OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"

Do you bring your own bags to the grocery store?

GOP, backwards on everything.

It doesn't even make sense anymore.

oof

@sonicare: A common thing to do here actually.

Still can happen on a statelevel. Can it not?

Same here in sweden.

My cloth bags are almost a decade old now. Still used.

@sonicare: who doesn't? Most real groceries require it now

Oh look, another giant treaty/promise to help improve the world happened. In all likelihood the Paris Climate Accords, the most recent treaty that involved nearly every country in the world, helped pave the way for this to happen. Once again, because the United States left the Paris agreement, we had no seat at the negotiating to help shape this world wide agreement between nations.

Thanks Trumplicans.

Plenty of people in the US do. I've been using reusable bag for years.

@sonicare: bringing your own bags isn't so common where I live, but I've personally been doing it for years.

The rest of the world shouldn't use the fact that the US are entering a new dark age as an excuse not to act. In a way it's an opportunity for others to rise. Empires rise and fall, just get on with it.

Hmm ok, a deal that means zero and where countries can say "we are woke" and then go back to doing nothing.

But don´t worry liberals i am sure in 2020 if Biden wins that he will enter into both that and the Paris agreement.