UNEP is hosting the talks, and Andersen said conversations across, between and among different regions and interest groups had generated momentum.

Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peaks, in the deepest ocean trench and scattered throughout almost every part of the human body.

How did we get here, and what could be different this time?

Ecuadoran diplomat Luis Vayas Valdivieso, who is chairing the talks process, said an effective, fair and ambitious agreement was now within reach.

The group and its allies want a treaty “that cuts plastic production, eliminates toxic chemicals, and provides the financing that’s going to be required to transition to a fossil fuel, plastic-free future”, he said.

Greenpeace and its allies want a treaty that cuts plastic production and eliminates toxic chemicals. Source: AAP / EPA/Salvatore Di Nolfi

“The fossil fuel industry is here in force,” he noted, adding: “We cannot let a few countries determine humanity’s future when it comes to plastic pollution.”

How much plastic waste is produced every year?

To hammer home the message, a replica outside the UN of Auguste Rodin’s famous sculpture The Thinker will be slowly submerged in mounting plastic rubbish during the talks.

More than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally each year. Source: AAP / AP/Salvatore Di Nolfi

The artwork, entitled The Thinker’s Burden, is being constructed by the Canadian artist and activist Benjamin Von Wong.