Countries deadlocked on plastic production and chemicals as talks on a global treaty draw to a close

Geneva — Negotiations on a global treaty to end plastic pollution are drawing to a close Thursday, as nations remain deadlocked over whether to tackle the exponential growth of plastic production.

A draft of the treaty released Wednesday wouldn’t limit plastic production or address chemicals used in plastic products. Instead, it's centered on proposals where there's broad agreement — such as reducing the number of problematic plastic products that often enter the environment and are difficult to recycle, promoting the redesign of plastic products so they can be recycled and reused, and improving waste management.

It asks nations to make commitments to ending plastic pollution, rather than imposing global, legally-binding rules.

A new draft is expected Thursday afternoon, and the talks