(AFP) - Plastic pollution in the world's oceans has reached "unprecedented levels" in 15 years, a study warned on Tuesday (March 9), urging the world to conclude an international treaty by 2024 to save the planet from such rubbish. The study, published Tuesday in the US journal PLOS ONE, estimated that there are 17 trillion pieces of plastic, mostly microplastics, on the ocean surface, most of which have been discarded since 2005, the report said. The study estimated the total weight of this pollution at 2.3 million tons.

The study noted that the pollution had reached "unprecedented levels over a period of nearly 15 years" and argued that previous estimates had been underestimated. If nothing is done to compensate, the phenomenon will accelerate, the study predicts.

If the trend continues, plastic use in G20 countries will nearly double from 2019 levels to 451 million tons per year by 2050, according to a recent international report.

The report said that in a year, 175 countries agreed to draft a binding treaty by the end of 2024, under the auspices of the United Nations, aimed at reducing plastic pollution. The next round of negotiations is scheduled to take place in Paris in May.

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