Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

Hamas actions are not Iranian actions. That is just blatantly incorrect and false. Hamas and Iran have had many spats- they are not as closely linked as you just implied they were. Hamas = Sunni Arabs, Iranians = Shia Persians. They aren't exactly BFF's

You forget the old maxim - "The enemy of my enemy is my friend". This was certainly true with emerging World War II Powers, the USA/USSR. Not sure if it was a joint effort with the two in October. But whoever should have let sleeping dogs lie.

Current efforts to manage plastic pollution are falling far short. Globally, less than 10% of plastic is recycled, and 32% of plastic packaging escapes collection systems.

That’s why all eyes will turn towards Ottawa, Canada this month as an intergovernmental meeting known as INC-4 convenes in hopes of advancing a legally binding global agreement to end plastic pollution. Time is ticking: Few countries have any goals to limit or reduce plastic waste, reinforcing the urgency for a more rigorous and practical approach.

Dow, the world’s third-largest plastics producer, enthusiastically supports a solution that will eliminate plastic pollution from our planet by creating a socially inclusive, circular economy for plastics that recognizes the vital role these materials play in ensuring a low-carbon future. It’s an audacious yet achievable goal. The agreement being worked out could be an incredible catalyst for change if designed well. To be effective, it will need to drive innovation, promote environmentally sound recycling, and build an inclusive financial model to enable a circular ecosystem.

The first priority is driving innovation through design. Using plastics sustainably requires making them with circularity in mind from the beginning. We must design more high-performance plastics that use fewer raw materials while maximizing durability, reusability, and recyclability. Countries can help by promoting smarter design standards and setting recycled content requirements so that waste can be more easily sorted, recycled, and put back into use.


https://fortune.com/2024/04/16/dow-ceo-company-major-plastic-producer-end-plastic-pollution-leadership-environment/

I wonder what "legally binding" could mean.

The first problem with plastic recycling is separation (generally after use).  Some mass of mixed plastic types is really a mess.  You can't separate it by type, and you can only recycle usefully if its separated.  Given a mass of nearly pure PE or PP or PET, recycling is pretty easy.

One possibility is to unzip the polymer chains into the constituent original parts and go from there, but it takes energy.

It's a red line, man.

What would be the possible negatives associated with a significant withdrawal from the world by the USA?  I'm not proposing this, I'm pondering it, but imagine the following happened, what would be some downsides?

1.  Withdrawal from every military alliance in which the US participates, including NATO.
2.  Withdrawal of troops based in South Korea/Okinawa, plus Europe/ME/wherever.
3.  Cut military budget by "half".  Maybe retain 10 AC carriers to be based on US territory, the nuclear "deterrent", subs,  smaller Army and Marine Corps and Air Force.
4.  Cut foreign aid to near zero.
5.  Withdraw from the UN, or perhaps remain for show, but don't pay the bills.  Maybe ask them to move out of NYC.

was hoping to watch some Husker baseball this evening

Big Ten Network plus

Current efforts to manage plastic pollution are falling far short. Globally, less than 10% of plastic is recycled, and 32% of plastic packaging escapes collection systems.

That’s why all eyes will turn towards Ottawa, Canada this month as an intergovernmental meeting known as INC-4 convenes in hopes of advancing a legally binding global agreement to end plastic pollution. Time is ticking: Few countries have any goals to limit or reduce plastic waste, reinforcing the urgency for a more rigorous and practical approach.

Dow, the world’s third-largest plastics producer, enthusiastically supports a solution that will eliminate plastic pollution from our planet by creating a socially inclusive, circular economy for plastics that recognizes the vital role these materials play in ensuring a low-carbon future. It’s an audacious yet achievable goal. The agreement being worked out could be an incredible catalyst for change if designed well. To be effective, it will need to drive innovation, promote environmentally sound recycling, and build an inclusive financial model to enable a circular ecosystem.

The first priority is driving innovation through design. Using plastics sustainably requires making them with circularity in mind from the beginning. We must design more high-performance plastics that use fewer raw materials while maximizing durability, reusability, and recyclability. Countries can help by promoting smarter design standards and setting recycled content requirements so that waste can be more easily sorted, recycled, and put back into use.


https://fortune.com/2024/04/16/dow-ceo-company-major-plastic-producer-end-plastic-pollution-leadership-environment/

I work for one of the companies mentioned. 
My take…lots of buzzwords. Little action.