OTTAWA, Canada—Global leaders are gathering here in Canada's capital this week to discuss progress in drafting a first-ever global treaty to rein in plastic pollution by the end of the year, according to a Reuters report. The pending treaty, due to be finalized at the end of this year, could be the most significant deal relating to climate-warming emissions and environmental protection since the 2015 Paris Agreement, which got 195 parties to agree to keep global temperatures from rising beyond 1.5°C.

At the U.N. Environmental Assembly in 2022, the world's nations agreed to develop a legally binding agreement by the end of 2024 to address the world's plastic pollution crisis. The treaty is meant to address plastics through their entire lifecycle—from when they are produced to how they are used and then disposed of, according to Reuters.

The talks are set to be the biggest yet, with some 3,500 people registered to attend including lobbyists, scientists and environmental non-profits. But countries have reported become divided on the issues during three previous rounds of talks held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, Paris and most recently in Nairobi.

At the Nairobi talks in November, the draft treaty under review extended from 30 pages to 70 pages as some countries insisted on including their objections to more ambitious measures like production limits and phase-outs, according to Reuters.

Countries are now under pressure to find common ground before the final negotiations are held in December in Busan, South Korea.

The 60-nation "High-Ambition Coalition," which includes EU countries, island nations, Japan and the UAE, wants to end plastic pollution by 2040. The U.S. says it also wants to end plastic pollution by 2040. But unlike the High-Ambition Coalition, it wants countries to set their own plans for doing so, and to detail those plans in pledges sent regularly to the United Nations, according to Reuters.