The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) was established following a resolution passed during the UN Environment Assembly in March 2022 to respond to the escalating global crisis of plastic pollution. Since early 2022, the INC has held negotiations to develop an international legally binding instrument to combat plastic pollution at every stage of its life cycle, covering production, consumption, and disposal. These negotiations aim to establish a comprehensive approach that addresses the environmental, social, and economic impacts of plastic pollution. Three INC sessions have been held so far, in November 2022, May 2023, and November 2023.
The ISC has been committed to supporting the INC process by advocating for the indispensable role of science in informing evidence-based policy decisions. Leveraging its network of scientific experts and resources, the ISC has actively engaged in various capacities to ensure that the voice of science is heard throughout the treaty negotiation.
Through consultations with experts across diverse scientific disciplines, the ISC has facilitated the exchange of research, insights, and perspectives essential for informing the development of the treaty. The ISC also recently released a policy brief advocating for the integration of scientific inputs into the negotiation process. To achieve this goal, the ISC is calling for the creation of a robust science-policy-society interface mechanism and the establishment of a formalized scientific platform under the INC Secretariat to foster an informed and inclusive approach to the many facets of plastic pollution across the globe.
ISC policy brief: A call for a formal scientific voice in the global fight against plastic pollution
In preparation for the third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, the ISC released a Policy Brief calling for the urgent establishment of a robust science-policy-society interface to tackle the persistent and long-term issue of global plastic pollution.
The ISC at the Second Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution
From 29 May to 2 June 2023, negotiators came together at the second meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-2).
Negotiations on ending global plastic pollution must be informed by scientific assessment
In November 2022, representatives of the scientific community called for a prominent role for scientific evidence and monitoring at the first in a series of meetings on the creation of a legally binding treaty on ending plastic pollution.
As the negotiations progress with the fourth session of INC to be held in April 2024, the ISC has established an expert group on plastic pollution following a call for nomination to ISC Members. This group, comprising experts from diverse disciplines, will aim to advance the role of robust, independent, and multidisciplinary science in the INC process.
The main objectives of the expert group is to support the development of a science-based instrument to address plastic pollution comprehensively and advocate for the establishment of a science-policy mechanism for implementing and further developing treaty commitments. The experts will also facilitate the exchange of information from the INC process with ISC members and the broader science and policy-making community.
Margaret Spring, Chair
Chief Conservation and Science Officer, Monterey Bay Aquarium
Chair of US NAS Committee on the US Contributions to Global Ocean Plastic Waste
Professor of Analytical and Environmental Chemistry, The University of Jordan
Member of the Global Young Academy
ISC Fellow
Science Director, Institute of Marine Science of the National Research Council of Italy
Vice-President and Senior Scientist at the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR)
Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Mauritius
Associate Professor of Ecology, University of Siena
Co-chair of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Plastic Action Group
Head of the Department of Life Sciences and Professor of Marine Biology, University of the West Indies
Ex-officio member of the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) Executive Committee
Associate Professor and Director of the Sustainability Research Centre, Universidad del Desarrollo
Member of the Global Young Academy
Lead of the Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Estonian National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics
Fellow of the Estonian Academy of Sciences
Professor and Chair of the Faculty, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
Member and Past President of the Polymer Division of International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)
Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Putra Malaysia
Adjunct Researcher at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lead City University
Associate Professor of Human Rights, European and Environmental Law, University of Surrey
Co-director at the Surrey Centre for International and Environmental Law (SCIEL).
Professor of Maritime Studies, University of Piraeus
Member and Vice President of Chemistry and Environment of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)
Senior Research Fellow at the Environment and Society Centre, Chatham House
Professor at the Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Image by Collab Media on Unsplash.
Read more about Introducing the ISC expert group on oceans: Providing science-based inputs for the UN Ocean Conference
Read more about Call for applications of experts to contribute science advice in Latin America and the Caribbean | deadline: 20 January
Read more about Six science advice workshops to be guided by INGSA-Asia in 2025
