Sculpture 'thinker’s Burden' in Geneva warns plastic pollution is a health crisis
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A six-meter sculpture named “The Thinker’s Burden” has taken center stage at the Place des Nations in Geneva as world leaders and negotiators meet for the resumed fifth session of global talks on a plastic pollution treaty (INC-5.2) under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) from August 5 to 14.
The massive artwork, created by Canadian artist Benjamin Von Wong with support from the Minderoo Foundation, shows a reimagined version of Rodin’s The Thinker.
This version holds a baby while sitting atop Earth, wrapped in a strand of DNA, said a UNEP release.
The sculpture is designed to gradually become buried in real plastic waste over the course of the talks---symbolizing how plastic pollution is overwhelming the planet and threatening human health.
Made from wood, papier mâché, steel, and living plants, the artwork sends a strong message: plastic pollution is no longer just an environmental issue--it is a public health emergency. Microplastics and toxic chemicals are already entering our air, food, and bodies.
Future generations are at risk, and babies are being born already affected by these chemicals.
“This is not just art--it’s a call to conscience,” said Professor Sarah Dunlop from the Minderoo Foundation.
She called the sculpture a symbol of the responsibility negotiators carry to make polluters pay and protect people everywhere.
Artist Benjamin Von Wong, known for large-scale environmental art installations at the UN and World Economic Forum, said, “The real weight of plastic falls on our health. If we fail to act now, the consequences will be severe.”
As governments debate a binding treaty, the talks have reached a crossroads.
A group of “High Ambition” countries is pushing for strong upstream measures like limits on plastic production and bans on toxic chemicals.
But other countries are pushing weaker recycling-based solutions. The outcome of these negotiations could lead to the most important global agreement since the Paris Climate Accord.
Dr. Bethanie Carney Almroth, professor of ecotoxicology and part of the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty, said the sculpture makes the science clear to everyone.
It shows how deeply plastics affect human health, the environment, and our future.
Dozens of local groups, NGOs, and volunteers in Geneva helped bring the sculpture to life by collecting over 20 cubic meters of plastic waste.
After the exhibition, all plastic will be properly recycled.
Standing tall in front of the UN flags, “The Thinker’s Burden” urges negotiators to act boldly and fast.