New York Attorney General Letitia James has spearheaded an initiative alongside a coalition of ten attorneys general, urging the U.S. State Department to advocate for a robust international treaty aimed at curbing global plastic pollution. In a recent communication with the State Department, the coalition commended the U.S. delegation's decision to endorse worldwide restrictions on plastic production and to create a list of harmful chemicals and plastic products that should be eliminated.
Attorney General James emphasized, "Climate change poses an existential threat, and it is on all of us to combat it with urgent global action." She expressed her support for the U.S. delegation's stance at the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastics Pollution (INC-5) meeting in South Korea later this month.
Since April 2024, Attorney General James has advocated for these measures, leading to the U.S.'s official endorsement of production caps at the UN General Assembly in September 2024. The coalition stresses that bold policies are necessary to address plastic pollution and that community voices most affected by plastic production should be heard.
The INC was established following a historic resolution by the UN in March 2022 to develop an international treaty on plastic pollution. Since then, four negotiation sessions have taken place, with the fifth session scheduled for November in Busan, South Korea.
The letter from Attorney General James and her colleagues highlights significant concerns regarding single-use plastics' contribution to carbon emissions and their environmental impact. They note that annually about 400 million tons of plastic waste are generated globally, much from single-use products derived predominantly from fossil fuels.
In their appeal, they call attention to communities like Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley,” advocating for justice against health inequities caused by local plastic production practices. This aligns with efforts under the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitments towards addressing social and public health impacts related to plastics.
To tackle these issues effectively, Attorney General James recommends several actions: ensuring comprehensive treaty coverage from production through disposal; acknowledging plastics' link to climate change; dismissing ineffective solutions such as chemical recycling; prioritizing reuse systems; and establishing scientific backing alongside funding mechanisms.
Joining New York in this advocacy are attorneys general from California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Vermont.
This initiative is being managed by Assistant Attorneys General Ashley M. Gregor and Jennifer C. Simon under Senior Counsel Michael Myers within New York's Environmental Protection Bureau led by Lemuel M. Srolovic.