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The world has a plastic problem.
This was stated by the president of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, Luis Vayas Valdivieso.
“Plastic pollution is not just an unpleasant nonsense, but an urgent and insidious threat to ecosystems, economies and human health.”
The reason for the pollution is linked to the vastness of production.
450 million tonnes of plastic are produced every year, a figure expected to double or triple by 2040.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ((OECD)) states that only 9% of plastic waste is recycled and 22% is mismanaged.
The executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Inger Andersen, says this means plastic is everywhere, from the deepest parts of the ocean to the summit of Mount Everest, and inside almost all life, including humans , including children.
“It’s drowning in this stuff. I live in Nairobi, Kenya, and unfortunately we’re seeing extensive use of single-use plastics that often end up in the environment, and with the hundreds of millions of tons that we produce, we have massive leaks into the open environment .”
But although it took years, global leaders are now trying to make changes.
In 2022, United Nations members unanimously agreed to address the growing challenge through a global plastics treaty.
Inger Andersen says they now have until Monday [[December 2]]to conclude the agreement.
“The world wants to end plastic pollution. The world needs to end plastic pollution. And I ask you to deliver this tool this week that puts us on the path to doing just that, for thousands of days, months and years to come.”
Delegates from 175 countries are in the South Korean city of Busan to negotiate the terms of the treaty.
But the permanent secretary of Fiji’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Sivendra Michael, says discussions have been deliberately slowed down.
“There are many procedural niceties put in place by those countries that do not want to have constructive engagement, and granting such interventions that focus solely on procedural niceties or technical aspects, is actually a delaying technique used by many who have ammunition loaded in your back pockets to try to discourage the whole process.”
Over two-thirds of governments support the treaty’s overall goal of tackling plastic pollution.
This is opposed by a group of nations led by Iran and Saudi Arabia, known as the “like-minded” or low-ambition group, supported by plastics and petrochemical lobbyists – reportedly the largest contingent present to the interviews.
European External Action Service Climate and Environment Ambassador Anthony Agotha says the treaty does not aim to completely ban plastic.
“This is not about demonizing plastic. We love plastic. It helps our cars and planes be lighter, but we need to get rid of the polluting plastic that is practically choking the oceans and ruining our health.”
But environmental groups, including Kate Noble of the World Wide Fund for Nature Australia, say bold measures are needed, including:
“Global rules on banning and phasing out the most polluting and harmful single-use plastic products. Creating a set of rules on product design, to ensure that products are reusable, repairable, recyclable and can be safely managed when finished of their lives. to strengthen this treaty over time and include a financial package, so that all countries can fulfill their obligations under the treaty.”
Australia leads the financial negotiations and is part of what is called the “high ambition coalition”.
Pacific islands, among the hardest hit by pollution, are leading the push for production limits.
Michael says agreement on this point will be crucial.
“This is a Pacific position and I would like to recognize the leadership of the Cook Islands in putting together and leading that dialogue among Pacific states, to set an ambitious target of 40% reduction by 2040.”
It is understood that China, the largest producer, is among the countries opposing the limits, while the United States, the second largest, has recently supported them, although it is uncertain whether support will continue under the new Trump administration .
Even South Korea, the host country, despite being an important producer, is part of the group with great ambitions.
Han Min Young is South Korea’s director of climate change, energy, environment and science affairs.
According to her, Korea is ready to work with all member states to foster consensus.
“Korea remains steadfast in its commitment to a legally binding agreement that addresses the entire life cycle of plastic, from production and consumption to waste management.”
The full draft text containing 32 articles has been submitted, but key issues, from production limitations to definitions, remain unresolved.
And developing nations are determined to hold their ground.
They will continue to campaign for binding, non-voluntary measures and appropriate sanctions, to ensure that the treaty is strong enough to address what the UN Secretary-General calls an existential crisis.
Michael says that means a definitive deal will likely come to fruition.
“If we were like COP 29, where we went for 33 hours without adequate rest, then we might be doing it out of exhaustion rather than very constructive engagement. Our fear is that we cannot compromise in a situation where the text does not It is ambitious enough, and the text does not reflect the ambition needed to actually achieve the results badly needed to curb the plastic crisis.”