Plastic waste is everywhere. Countries have another chance to agree on a solution

Negotiators from dozens of countries are in Busan, South Korea, trying to hammer out a global treaty to cut plastic pollution. This is their last chance before a deadline at the end of the year to agree a plan to end a crisis that threatens the environment and human health.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the world produces about 400 million tons of plastic waste every year. This is approximately the weight of every person on the planet. Most plastic ends up in places like oceans, coastlines and landfills, where it breaks down into tiny pieces called microplastics, which can be found all over the environment and inside human bodies. The problem is getting worse: plastic pollution is expected to rise sharply in the coming decades. Therefore, in 2022, UN member states said they would sign a legally binding agreement to prevent plastic waste from entering the environment.

However, negotiations have been stalled for several months. Plastic is made from fossil fuels. Environmental groups, scientists and human rights activists say the oil and gas industry, as well as major producers such as Russia and Saudi Arabia, are delaying progress and blocking measures that could harm demand for their products.

However, some observers of the negotiations now see an opportunity for the countries to strike a deal. This is due in part to signals from the Biden administration in recent months that the US may support more aggressive action to reduce plastic pollution.

“We have all the necessary conditions,” says Erin Simon, head of plastic waste and business at the World Wildlife Fund. “Will the chairman (of the UN negotiating committee) be able to complete the work? And will these countries stand up and speak out for what they say they are committed to doing when the time comes? Will they silence the few and speak for the many?”

Negotiations open in the shadow of US elections

The final round of negotiations comes weeks after US voters re-elected Donald Trump as president. For years, Trump has questioned the scientific consensus that the Earth is getting hotter largely due to man-made greenhouse gas emissions, which come largely from the burning of fossil fuels. And Trump promised during his second term to pursue policies aimed at supporting the US oil and gas industry.

Trump’s transition team did not respond to messages seeking comment on the new administration’s stance on plastic pollution.

Simon says U.S. policy may have some influence on the plastics negotiations, but she says the goal is not to set U.S. policy or craft a treaty that can be immediately ratified by the United States.

“The goal is how do we mobilize on a global scale,” says Simon. “And how do we make sure that no matter what (happens) in the United States, we take action?”

Even before Trump’s re-election, observers of the negotiations were reluctant to count on US leadership. The Biden administration has faced harsh criticism for supporting policies that benefit the plastics industry. And the United States has historically lagged behind global environmental initiatives, says Carroll Muffett, executive director of the Foundation for International Environmental Law.

There is a pattern in which the U.S. “advocates for very weak agreements that they end up not participating in anyway,” Muffet said before the previous round of plastics talks in Canada this spring.

Scientists say solutions to plastic waste problem are clear

The main stumbling block in these negotiations was a measure to limit the production of new plastic. Scientists and environmentalists, as well as the attorneys general of New York, California and eight other states, say the world produces too much plastic to effectively manage it and that countries need to limit production to have any hope of reducing pollution.

Plastics manufacturers see such regulation as a threat to their business. The industry wants negotiators to focus on creating a so-called circular economy, where plastic is recycled and reused to prevent waste.

But investigations, including one by NPR, have found that the plastics industry has for decades encouraged recycling even though officials have long known it probably wouldn’t work on a large scale. Former industry officials said the goal was to avoid regulation and ensure continued growth in demand for plastics.

Current officials said the investigations do not accurately reflect the industry today.

Matt Seaholm, executive director of the Plastics Industry Association trade group, said in a statement that his organization supports the “ambitious” agreement but cautioned against measures such as production caps, which he said would harm plastics producers by “falling short of our common goals of sustainable development.” ”

Countries are also debating whether to regulate the chemicals found in plastics. A study this year found that plastics contain more than 4,200 hazardous chemicals, the vast majority of which are unregulated worldwide, according to researchers. The plastics industry argues that chemicals should be regulated by national governments rather than a global treaty on plastic pollution. But scientists and environmentalists calling for global chemicals regulation note that plastic waste, as well as the chemicals from which plastic is made, do not stay in the country where it is produced. He travels around the world along rivers and oceans.

Other issues under consideration include establishing design standards to ensure plastics are safe to reuse and recycle, requiring companies to use some recycled materials in their plastic products and raising money to pay for waste management infrastructure, especially in developing countries.

“From a scientific point of view, it is absolutely clear what actions we need. So there is no ambiguity here. It’s just a matter of political will,” says Douglas McCauley, a professor of environmental science at the University of California, Santa Barbara. who studied ways to reduce plastic pollution.

And McCauley says world leaders have many reasons to act. “If you care about fighting cancer, well, there’s a win here. If you care about environmental justice, there’s a win here. If you care about the environment – oceans, rivers and everything else – it’s a win. If you care about climate change, this is a win,” McCauley says.

A spokesman for the White House Council on Environmental Quality said in a statement that the United States supports efforts to address supply problems with plastics and chemicals used by industry. “Global plastic production is projected to triple by 2060, overwhelming solid waste management systems and contributing to environmental pollution,” the statement said. “A huge portion of this increase will come from an increase in single-use plastic products, which will ultimately lead to even more plastic pollution.”

Time is of the essence

Negotiation observers say the countries could reach a lasting deal in South Korea, even if they leave some details to be worked out later.

“It is impossible to achieve everything in Busan,” says Magnus Løvold, project director at the Norwegian Academy of International Law. “But you can establish a strong starting point for plastic management internationally” in the coming years.

But there seems to be little time to lay this foundation. When countries agreed to sign a treaty to stop plastic pollution, they set a goal of finishing it this year. Negotiators often prolong negotiations when they reach an impasse. However, McCauley says those involved in those discussions appear committed to sticking to the original schedule.

For developing countries especially, if negotiations drag on, it could derail their efforts to reach a lasting treaty, Simon said. Negotiations are scheduled to end on December 1.

“These countries don’t have the resources to be a major player in the negotiations,” says Simon. “The political pressure, the public pressure, will subside as other things come into play.”

Copyright: NPR 2024