‘Customer week’: Crucial negotiations begin on plastic pollution treaty

The final round of talks on a deal to stop plastic pollution opens on Monday, with the diplomat leading the difficult negotiations warning countries not to miss a “once-in-a-generation opportunity.”

Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that it can be found in clouds, the deepest ocean trenches, and even in human breast milk.

And while almost everyone agrees that this is a problem, there is less consensus on how to solve it.

The countries have just a week in Busan, South Korea, to resolve thorny issues including whether to curb plastic production, a possible ban on chemicals considered toxic to human health and how to pay for the treaty.

“There are real differences on some key elements,” UN Environment Program chief Inger Andersen acknowledged Sunday at a meeting with observers of the talks.

“I believe we absolutely can make it happen, but it will require everyone to make their way onto the bus a little bit,” she said.

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.

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.

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

“Once in a generation”

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 link global output cut targets and warned ahead of the Busan talks that “vested interests” should not be allowed to block a deal.

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

Luis Vaias Valdivieso, the diplomat who chaired the negotiations, prepared an alternative document intended to summarize the views of the delegations and move the negotiations forward.

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

But it leaves the most pressing issues largely unaddressed, angering some more ambitious countries and environmental groups.

However, Valdivieso insisted on Sunday that a “common understanding is emerging” while reminding countries they have just 63 working hours in the “crucial week” to secure a deal.

“This treaty represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” he said.

“Contractual people demand”

Some observers believe the talks are likely to fail and be extended – especially after difficult negotiations at UN climate and biodiversity conferences in recent weeks.

But both Andersen and Valdivieso insist that an agreement must be reached in Busan. Some environmental groups are concerned that the agreement will be watered down to ensure that something gets signed.

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 American delegation will be and whether negotiators should even seek their 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.

Hours before the talks began, environmental groups presented officials with a petition signed by nearly three million people calling for a legally binding treaty.

“Governments can and must deliver the deal that people demand,” said Eirik Lindebjerg, WWF global plastics policy director.

“One that decisively and definitely protects people and nature now and for future generations.”

Source: AFP