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The world has a plastic problem.
This is what the president of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, Luis Vayas Valdivieso, says.
“Plastic pollution is not just an unsightly nonsense, but an urgent and insidious threat to ecosystems, economies and human health.”
The reason for this pollution is linked to the sheer scale of production.
450 million tonnes of plastic are produced each year, and this figure is on track to double or triple by 2040.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) says that only 9% of plastic waste is recycled and 22% is mismanaged.
The executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, 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 – even babies.
“I’m drowning in all of this. I live in Nairobi, Kenya, and unfortunately we are seeing massive use of single-use plastic that often ends up in the environment, and with the hundreds of millions of tons we produce, we have massive leaks in the open environment.”
But even though it took years, world leaders are now trying to make changes.
In 2022, members of the United Nations unanimously agreed to address this growing challenge with a global plastics treaty.
Inger Andersen says they now have until Monday [[December 2]]to seal the deal.
“The world wants to end plastic pollution. The world needs to end plastic pollution. And I ask you to provide this week this instrument that puts us on track to achieve this goal, 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.
“Many procedural intricacies are implemented by countries that do not want constructive engagement, and allowing such interventions that focus only on procedural intricacies or technicalities is in reality a delaying technique used by many. loaded ammunition in their back pockets to try to deter this whole process.”
More than two-thirds of governments support the treaty’s overarching goal of tackling plastic pollution.
Opposed by a group of countries led by Iran and Saudi Arabia, known as the “like-minded” or low-ambition group, backed by plastics and petrochemical lobbyists – reportedly the largest contingent in the negotiations.
The European External Action Service’s ambassador for climate and environment, Anthony Agotha, says the treaty does not aim to completely ban plastic.
“It’s 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 choking the oceans and ruining our health.”
But environmental groups, including Kate Noble from the World Wide Fund for Nature Australia, say bold measures are needed, including:
“Global rules regarding the banning and phasing out of the most polluting and harmful single-use plastic products. Create a set of rules around product design, to ensure that products are reusable, repairable, recyclable and can be managed safely at the end of its life. Capacity to strengthen this treaty over time And they include a financial package, so that all countries can fulfill their obligations under the treaty.
Australia is leading the financial negotiations and is part of the so-called “high ambition coalition”.
The Pacific islands, among the hardest hit by pollution, are behind the pressure to cap production.
Mr Michael believes that 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 organizing and leading this conversation 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 caps, while the United States, the second-largest, has recently supported them – although it is not clear whether this support continues under a new Trump administration.
Host country South Korea, although a major producer, is also in the high ambitions group.
Han Min Young is South Korea’s director of climate change, energy, environment and science affairs.
She says Korea is ready to work with all member states to foster consensus.
“Korea remains steadfast in its commitment to a legally binding agreement that covers the full life cycle of plastic, from production and consumption to waste management.”
The full draft text containing 32 articles has been tabled – but key issues, from production caps to definitions, remain unanswered.
And developing countries are determined to stand firm.
They will continue to campaign for binding, non-voluntary measures and appropriate sanctions, to ensure the treaty is strong enough to deal with what the UN secretary-general calls an existential crisis.
Mr Michael says this means a final deal is likely to be reached.
“If we are like COP 29, where we spent 33 hours without adequate rest, then we might do it out of exhaustion rather than very constructive engagement. Our fear is that we cannot compromise ourselves in a situation where the text does not “It’s not ambitious. It’s enough, and the text doesn’t reflect the ambition needed to actually achieve the results needed to stop the plastic crisis.”
