UN Treaty Talks Fail to Reach Agreement on Plastic Pollution Among Countries

December 2, 2024 TruthUSA

The summit in Busan, South Korea, was expected to be the final gathering of its kind, but an agreement on the content could not be reached.

Negotiations for a global treaty to address plastic pollution collapsed on Dec. 2 when oil-producing countries blocked a plan to cap production, supported by over 100 nations.

The fifth U.N. Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) meeting in Busan, South Korea, began on Nov. 25 with the goal of concluding a legally binding global treaty by Dec. 1.

The summit, meant to be the final one, failed as some countries were only willing to address plastic waste without imposing global production caps.

Delegates decided to postpone major decisions until a future date to reconvene.

“There is still a significant gap in viewpoints,” noted U.N. Environment Programme Executive Director Inger Andersen.

Panama’s proposal for a global plastic production reduction target, supported by over 100 countries, was not adopted.

Another proposal without production caps also did not pass. Every nation must agree for a proposal to be included in the treaty.

The divisions were outlined in a revised document released on Sunday by Luis Vayas Valdivieso, the Ecuadorian chair of the meeting.

He highlighted issues such as capping plastic production, managing plastic products and chemicals, and financing for developing nations as sources of friction.

Rwanda’s Environment Management Authority director general, Juliet Kabera, emphasized that a treaty relying solely on voluntary measures would not suffice.

“It is critical that we negotiate a treaty that is effective and not destined to fail,” Kabera stressed.

Several nations heavily reliant on fossil fuels, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, Kuwait, and India, opposed efforts to limit plastic production and employed procedural tactics to hinder discussions.

Saudi delegate Abdulrahman Al Gwaiz claimed that there was never a consensus.

“Some articles that were not within the scope somehow made it into the document despite our repeated objections,” Gwaiz added.

South Korean Foreign Affairs Minister Cho Tae-yul acknowledged the lack of an agreed treaty but highlighted the progress made towards a unified approach to plastic pollution.

Plastic production is expected to triple by 2050, and microplastics have been discovered in the air, fresh produce, and even human breast milk.

According to a 2023 U.N. Environment Programme report, more than 3,200 chemicals in plastics possess hazardous properties, with women and children being especially vulnerable to their toxicity.

In 2023, China, the United States, India, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia were the top five primary polymer-producing countries, as per Eunomia.

The U.N. summit postponement came shortly after the conclusion of the COP29 summit in Baku, where countries set a global goal to mobilize $300 billion annually for climate finance – a target criticized by small island states and many developing nations as insufficient.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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