Plastic  production has exploded in the last century - to some it has been a  miracle product while to others it is a pollution nightmare.

Scientists have estimated that there are nearly 200 trillion pieces floating in the world's oceans, and this could triple if no action is taken. In  2022, countries agreed to develop a legally binding global treaty to  cut the waste and the harmful chemicals some plastics contain - but  after two years no agreement has been reached.

On  Tuesday, the world's nations meet again at a UN conference in Geneva -  could they finally agree how to curb the plastic excesses?

Why is plastic such a valuable product?

Human  societies have used plastics that occur naturally in the environment  for hundreds of years, in the form of rubber, horn and shellac. But the 20th Century brought the explosion of synthetic plastics, made from processing fossil fuels. The  material's versatility, strength and heat-resistant properties has lent  itself to thousands of uses, from sewage pipes to life-saving medical  equipment, to clothing.

It  has become ubiquitous in a short time without understanding its full  impact, explains Dr Alice Horton, research scientist at the National  Oceanography Centre.

"Proportional  to life on earth, plastics have been around for no time at all, there  are people alive that weren't using plastics as children. I think that's  what makes this quite a concerning material," said Dr Horton.

"It  has exploded in such a way that we are using it in every application in  our lives and yet we are suddenly realising there may be problems with  it."

How are plastics impacting our planet?

Levels of plastic production have grown exponentially over the last few decades. In 1950 two million tonnes was produced; by 2022 that had risen to 475 million tonnes. Although plastic can be reused, the cost and availability of recycling infrastructure means very little is. About 60% of all plastics are single use and just 10% are estimated to be recycled, according to analysis in Nature.

Plastic  has been shown to accumulate in the marine environment where it poses particular problems for wildlife that can ingest it.

"They can confuse it as food, which then harms their internal organs and also can lead to fatalities, because of digestion difficulties," said Zaynab  Sadan, global plastics policy lead at WWF.

She said they could also become entangled in discarded fishing gear or plastic packaging that has entered the ocean from sewage systems.