A handful of oil-producing countries were blamed for the collapse of talks on a global treaty to curb plastic pollution on Monday, even as more than 100 countries want to curb output.
There had been hopes that the fifth round of talks in South Korea by the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee would result in a legally binding treaty, but organizers and critics say a handful of oil-producing countries are only prepared to take action on plastic waste.
Countries are still far apart on the basic scope of the treaty and can only agree to postpone key decisions and Date to resume talks set for 2025.
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“It's clear that divisions remain,” said Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme.
The most divisive issues include limiting plastic production, regulating plastic products and related chemicals, and financing to help developing countries implement the treaty.
One plan proposed by Panama, backed by more than 100 countries, would create a path towards global plastic production reduction targets, while another does not include a production cap.
Saudi Arabia opposes move to reduce plastic pollution
Those fault lines were evident in a revised document released by conference president Luis Vaillas Valdivieso on Sunday that could form the basis of a treaty but is still fraught with options on the most sensitive issues.
“A treaty that relies solely on voluntary measures is unacceptable,” said Juliette Cabela, director of Rwanda's Environment Management Authority.
“It’s time we take this seriously and negotiate a treaty that is fit for purpose and not designed to fail.”
A handful of petrochemical producers, including Saudi Arabia, have strongly opposed efforts to reduce plastic production and have tried to use procedural tactics to delay negotiations.
“There was never any consensus,” said Saudi Arabian representative Abdulrahman Al-Gwaiz. “There are several articles that appear to have made their way into (the document) somehow, although we have always maintained that they were outside the scope.”
According to data provider Eunomia, China, the United States, India, South Korea and Saudi Arabia are the top five major polymer producers in 2023.
If these differences are overcome, the treaty will become one of the most important agreements related to environmental protection since the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The world is “hijacked” by a few countries
The postponement comes days after a tumultuous end to the conference. COP29 Baku SummitAzerbaijan.
In Baku, countries set new global target to raise $300 billion in climate finance annually, Transaction deemed woefully inadequate small island states and many developing countries.
Progress in climate talks has also been hampered by Saudi Arabia's procedural manipulations – Saudi Arabia opposed the inclusion of language that reaffirmed previous commitments to divest from fossil fuels.
Some negotiators said some countries were holding the conference process hostage and avoiding using the UN consensus process to make necessary compromises.
Senegal's national representative, Cheikh Ndiaye Sylla, called an agreement reached during the second round of negotiations in Paris last year that excluded a vote throughout the negotiations “a big mistake.”
“This outcome highlights the complexity of addressing plastic pollution on a global scale and the need for further deliberations to reach an effective, inclusive and workable treaty,” said Chris Jahn, secretary of the organization’s board of directors. . International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA)said a representative from a plastics manufacturer.
Environmental group GAIA said: “It is difficult to guarantee that the next INC will succeed where INC-5 failed.”
Plastic production is expected to triple by 2050, with microplastics found in the air, fresh produce and even human breast milk.
According to a 2023 report by the United Nations Environment Program, there are more than 3,200 chemicals of concern in plastics, with women and children being particularly vulnerable to their toxicity.
Despite the delay, some negotiators expressed an urgent need to restart talks.
“Every day of delay is a day against humanity. Delaying negotiations does not delay the crisis,” Panamanian delegation leader Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez said on Sunday.
“When we reconvene, the stakes will be higher.”
- Reuters Additional editing by Jim Pollard
See also:
Lackluster COP29 deal shows climate cooperation is under pressure
COP29 financing deal aims to secure $250 billion from rich countries
Will melting glaciers trigger volcanic eruptions? – Reuters
As the world faces 3.1 degrees Celsius of warming, funding gaps undermine climate talks
Climate change costs China $32 billion in just one quarter
Scientists fear nature's carbon sinks are failing – The Guardian
Flood or drought: climate change exacerbating global water crisis
Climate change 'fuels' rainfall, triggering deadly landslides in India
