‘Moment of truth’ for world’s first treaty on plastic pollution

PLASTIC pollution is clogging our seas, our air and even our bodies, but negotiators face an uphill battle next week to agree the world’s first treaty to tackle the problem.

The countries will have a week in South Korea’s Busan from Monday to wrap up two years of negotiations.

They remain deeply divided over whether the agreement should limit production of plastics and some chemicals, and even if the treaty should be adopted by majority vote or consensus.

The talks are a “moment of truth,” UN Environment Program chief Inger Andersen warned this month.

“Busan can and should mark the end of the negotiations,” she insisted, hinting at growing rumors that the process could be extended.

She acknowledged that serious differences remained and called for “greater convergence” on the most difficult areas.

“Everyone wants to end plastic pollution,” she said.

“Now it’s up to the member states.”

There is little debate about the scale of the problem.

The world produced about 460 million tons of plastic in 2019, a figure that has doubled since 2000, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Plastic production is expected to triple by 2060.

fault line

More than 90 percent of plastic is not recycled, and more than 20 million tons end up in the environment, often after just a few minutes of use.

Microplastics have been found in the deepest parts of the ocean, on the world’s highest mountain peaks, and in virtually every part of the human body.

Plastic also accounts for about three percent of global emissions, mostly from its production from fossil fuels.

The main problem in negotiations is how to solve the problem.

Some countries, including the so-called High Ambition Coalition (HAC), which brings together many African, Asian and European countries, want to discuss the entire “life cycle” of plastic.

This means limiting production, redesigning products for reuse and recycling, and tackling waste.

On the other side are countries, mainly oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, who want to focus only on waste.

HAC wants to bind global production cut targets and warned ahead of the Busan talks that “vested interests” should not be allowed to block the deal.

Disagreements had stalled four previous rounds of negotiations, resulting in a cumbersome document of more than 70 pages.

The diplomat leading the negotiations prepared an alternative document aimed at summarizing the delegations’ views and moving the negotiations forward.

“Expectations are high”

It’s a more manageable 17 pages that outline areas of agreement, including the need to promote reuse.

However, the most pressing issues remain virtually unaddressed.

A European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, warned that the document was “not ambitious enough” on a number of issues.

The Center for International Environmental Law’s assessment was more blunt: “This text would be an ineffective and useless treaty, and it would fail to adequately address the plastic crisis.”

Key to any agreement will be the United States and China, neither of which has openly sided with either bloc.

Earlier this year, Washington raised hopes among environmentalists by signaling support for some production restrictions, a position that is reportedly being reversed.

The election of Donald Trump has also raised questions about how ambitious the US delegation will be and whether negotiators should even seek US support if the treaty is unlikely to be ratified by Washington.

Some plastic producers are calling on governments to focus on waste management and reuse, warning that limiting production will lead to “unintended consequences”.

But others support agreement to global standards, including “sustainable” production levels.

“Expectations are high for Busan,” said Eirik Lindebjerg, global plastics policy director at environmental group WWF.

The “vast majority” of countries already support mandatory regulations throughout the entire life cycle of plastics, he told AFP.

“It is now up to the leaders of these countries to negotiate the treaty the world needs and not let a handful of unwilling countries or industry interests get in the way of it.” AFP