Bid to curb plastic waste:

An intergovernmental conference has taken early steps toward drawing up an agreement to curb plastic pollution and marine litter

around the world, which can choke off sea life, harm food safety and coastal tourism, and contribute to climate change.

A draft resolution presented by Peru and Rwanda, and backed by the European Union and several other countries, at the end of a two-day Geneva conference on amounts to a procedural step, but one that aims to build momentum for drawing up language as early as next year on a binding global deal.

The draft, which mostly aims to set up a committee to negotiate the language of a possible accord, is expected to be considered at a UN Environment Assembly meeting in February.

Supporters hope to unify fragmented efforts to curb such waste around the world. They hope to take into account the full lifecycle of plastics - from production to consumption to waste management, treatment and prevention.

Conference organizers say up to 12 million tons of plastic waste ends up in the oceans each year, and the flow is expected to triple by 2040. So far, nearly 5 billion tons of plastic produced since the early 1950s has ended up in either landfills or in the natural environment, they said.

“The end goal, or the target, is to have zero waste,” said Oliver Boachie, a special adviser to the government of Ghana, which co-organized the conference with Ecuador, Germany and Vietnam. More than 1,000 representatives from over 140 countries took part, along with advocacy groups. (AP)