India, Aug. 22 -- The news from Geneva about the global treaty on plastics discussion revived the memory of a week when it seemed certain that the humble panni (polythene bag) was on its way out. The municipal authorities of many cities, especially the ones destined to become smart, were swooping down on sabzi mandis and the street-corner fruit and vegetable sellers, who were scared of being found with a sack of pannis. These little bags made of transparent plastic come in handy when customers come without a bag. During the swoop-down week, some customers actually started coming with a cloth bag, but many still needed a panni. The vendors had no choice, so they cautiously took out a panni from a carefully concealed bag. Once it was handed over to the customers it didn't matter. In the vegetable market, the word went around minutes before a team of municipal officers came. They went around toppling baskets, ruthlessly dragging out pannis, concealed in sacks. If you were unlucky enough to reach the market an hour later, you felt as if you were at a multiple crash site. The same week, a long list was published in newspapers, containing every possible item made of single-use plastic. They were all going to be banned. The humble refills of cheap ball pens figured prominently in that list. Were they to go forever, I wondered. But then, as a fortnight passed, everything returned to normal. The officers concerned and their bosses attained a decisive amnesia. Afterwards, no one remembered that plastic was a bad thing - for everyone, including stray cows who languish and die horrible death when a panni gets stuck in their intestines. Rivers, ponds, oceans, playgrounds, and pipelines - plastic is bad for all kinds of public places, but after the awareness week had passed, no one minded it. Worse ironies followed. A bakery I used to like started packing its bread in plastic boxes. A fancy kirana store also switched to these boxes for selling nuts. Officers concerned had melted away for good. The Geneva conference collapsed mid-August because the discussants split into a sharp division. It was neither new nor unexpected. Countries with a stake in petro-chemical industries formed a lobby against the rest. The so-called developing countries supported the former in arguing that any production ceilings would hurt economic growth. They favoured recycling - a modest remedy that can't resolve the crisis. Not everyone heeds scientific studies that show how dangerous plastic pollution has become - for human health, fish and birds. The polymer apocalypse is already here; it can't be averted by slow, awareness-building among consumers. Globally speaking, recycling has a considerable carbon footprint too as shiploads of plastic waste travel from the wealthy world to reach distant shores of poorer countries where recycling is an employment-generating activity. When environmental science is taught in schools, it inevitably acquires a gooey feel. Easy solutions, ornamented by symbolic displays on bulletin boards finish off all possibility of learning about the complexities involved in environmental problems. I once heard Medha Patkar explaining the political economy of a mineral water bottle. A bottle was duly placed in front of her place on the dais. She picked it up and spoke about the irony of clean water packaged in plastic. The organisers of her talk had not anticipated that by following the routine of placing a mineral water bottle in front of the guest speaker they had handed her a pedagogic point. It became clear to the audience that plastic consumption is one of the hardest issues to resolve among the diverse problems placed under labels like global warming and the climate crisis. Imagining a plastic-free world is very difficult because its use is so pervasive and because it makes life so convenient. Despite the devastating effects that plastic pollution has had, it is hard to imagine modern life without plastic. The current impasse over the plastics treaty demonstrates the power of the petrochemical industry. Its interests are paramount in the global economy. It presents a lobby strong enough to marginalise the warnings given by scientists about the dire consequences of plastic pollution. These warnings include grim health problems caused by the long-lasting presence of plastic residues and their long-term effects on health, especially during childhood. Nearly every discussion on environment-related matters has faced the problem that the plastics treaty has encountered in Geneva. A clash between collective global imperative and the vested interests of certain powerful nations has proved nearly impossible to resolve. Unfortunately, our country is also caught up in this conflict and feels reluctant to side with nations that favour a cap on polymer production. Similar dilemmas prevail over policies that favour four-lane highways in the Himalaya region despite scientific advice and repeated experience of disasters. Earlier treaties on environment problems have not proved any easier to implement and sustain. The Paris agreement on global warming a few years ago had aroused some hope that climate issues can be resolved. The consensus proved short-lived. The US withdrew its commitment to the Paris pact following political change at the top. It set a bad example, showing that no matter how grim the environmental crisis becomes, interests and power will not admit it with sincerity. When debates reach a plateau, a typical reaction is to emphasise the role of education in building long-term awareness. It is true that education can nurture new capacities for critical self-reflection on matters like consumption and new attitudes towards development. For now, the sphere of education is hesitant to allow candid discussion in the classroom. The politics of economic interests ensures that environmental studies stay superficial. On the plastic controversy, it is hard to imagine that textbooks and teachers can identify vested interests. Teaching about economic priorities that impede global action is too political a matter for the average teacher to handle under present conditions in most countries. Also, the progress made towards better teacher training has faced a reversal in the recent past....