Negotiations for a treaty against plastic pollution reach “the moment of truth”

The city of Busan hosts the last session of the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, which began work on a global treaty on plastics two years ago. The positions of the different delegations remain distant on issues such as whether the agreement should limit plastic production and some chemicals or whether this should be approved by majority or by consensus.

Negotiations are in “the moment of truth”the director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Inger Andersen, recently said, AFP reports. “Busan can and should mark the end of the negotiations,” he insisted in the face of rumors of a possible extension of the process.

However, he acknowledged that there are strong differences, but called for “more convergence” on the most difficult points. “Everyone wants to end plastic pollution,” he said.

Growing problem

There is little disagreement about the magnitude of the problem. In 2019, the world produced about 460 million tons of plasticdouble that of the year 2000, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The forecast is that the figure will have tripled by 2060.

More than 90% of plastic is not recycled and some 20 million tonnes end up in the environment, often after just a few uses. Microplastics have been found in the depths of the ocean, on the highest peaks in the world and inside the human body.

The biggest obstacle in the negotiations is from where to approach the problem. Some countries, including those in the so-called High Ambition Coalition (HAC) which brings together several African, Asian, European and Oceanic nations, want to discuss the complete “life cycle” of plastics. That would involve limiting production, redesigning some products for reuse and recycling, and managing waste.

Opposite are countries, mainly oil producers such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, that want to focus solely on the issue of waste.

The HAC proposes binding global targets to reduce plastic production and warned before the meeting in Busan that “private interests” should not torpedo an agreement.

But these divisions have hindered the four previous rounds of negotiations, which have led to a 70-page document that is difficult to digest.

The diplomat leading the talks has drafted an alternative document that seeks to synthesize the points of view of the different delegations and move the negotiations forward. This new draft highlights areas of understanding, such as the need to promote the reusability of plastics. However, the text barely addresses the thorniest points.

Goals

A European diplomat, who speaks on condition of anonymity, considers that the document “is not ambitious enough” in several aspects.

The assessment of the Center for International Environmental Law is more forceful: «The text will result in a treaty ineffective and useless and will fail to adequately solve the plastic crisis.”

United States and China They will be crucial for an eventual agreement, but until now they have not openly positioned themselves in any of the blocks. This year, the United States raised the hopes of environmental activists by expressing support for certain limits on production, although it now appears to be backing away from that stance.

The choice of donald trump It also calls into question the ambition of the American delegation and the willingness of other countries to seek its support if the treaty is unlikely to be ratified by the new administration.

Some plastic companies are pressuring governments to focus on waste management and reusability and warn that cut production would cause “unthinkable consequences.” But others support an agreement to establish global standards and “sustainable” production levels.

“Expectations are high before Busan,” Eirik Lindebjerg, global head of plastic policy at the WWF group, told AFP. An “overwhelming majority” of countries already support the creation of binding rules throughout the life cycle of plastic, he says.

“Now it is up to the leaders of these countries to make the treaty that the world needs a reality and not let a handful of unwilling countries or industry interests stop it,” he asserts.