Negotiators from more than 170 countries are arriving in Geneva, Switzerland, this week to resume discussions over the United Nations plastics treaty, eight months after they missed their original deadline for finalizing the pact .
Many delegates, advocacy groups, and U.N. officials are hopeful that the 10-day session , running from Tuesday through August 14, will result in a final agreement that delivers on the U.N.’s objective to “ end plastic pollution .” But progress has been slow at each of the five preceding sessions, in large part due to a consensus-based decision-making structure that has allowed oil-producing countries to obstruct progress.
While the U.N. Environment Programme is eager to conclude the negotiations, some delegates and environmental groups are worried that t