On 26 May 2023, the news was abuzz with a one of a kind weather forecast which predicted that Paris would be showered with about 50 kilograms of microplastics starting the following Monda
The acronym ‘GPT’, popularised by ChatGPT, is a widely used term nowadays in the context of an ‘ask me anything’ invitation - an AI algorithm which can clear bar exams, write your resumes, create music, do your homework, etc. But there is another GPT which you ought to know, as terrestrial beings wading your daily lives through a sea of plastic (literally and metaphorically). GPT stands for Global Plastics Treaty, a historic endeavour which aims to create an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.
A global treaty on plastics is the need of the hour if we are to tackle the seemingly insurmountable problem of plastic pollution in an efficient and holistic manner that deals with the problem at its roots. This article by Apoorva Ramaswamy establishes the urgency of establishing a convention at the global level, in lieu of the limitations within national/city level efforts and current international legal solutions to the plastic problem.
