Delegates from around the world are gathering in Geneva for a critical round of negotiations aimed at securing the first global treaty to curb the mounting plastic pollution crisis.

Nations must resolve the global plastics crisis, the head of UN talks told negotiators from 180 countries gathered in Geneva on Tuesday to forge a landmark treaty on eliminating the life-threatening waste.

Countries will push to address plastic pollution right from the production stage, which uses polluting oil and gas, to the challenges of plastic waste disposal and recycling.