G20 agrees to tackle ocean plastic waste

Reducing the amount of plastic in oceans was among the serious issues discussed at the 2019 G20 summit in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture in Japan. The countries outlined a framework to address plastic waste in the oceans. While the framework that was drawn up isn't legally binding, it is one of the first major initiatives to tackle the problem at a global scale.

The framework calls for intergovernmental collaboration on a number of related areas too, such as the environmental cost of plastic waste in oceans, best use of resources to address the problem, waste management and water treatment practices and technology, as well as environmentally-friendly products and designs, according to a report in The Japan Times.

"Each country will take voluntary measures and will report on their activities periodically," Japan's Environment Minister Yoshiaki Harada, told Japan Times, at a news conference Sunday afternoon at the conclusion of the two-day meeting.