Debate rages on curbing plastic emissions as deal deadline looms By Reuters
Written by Joyce Lee and Valerie Volcovici
BUSAN, South Korea – Negotiators of an agreement to curb plastic pollution are facing a tough debate on the final day of scheduled talks, as more than 100 countries support curbing production while a handful of oil-producing nations want to focus solely on plastic waste.
The fifth and final meeting of the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to find a legally binding global agreement will wrap up in Busan, South Korea, on Sunday, but the final negotiating session has not yet been set.
The agreement could be the most important agreement related to environmental protection and greenhouse gas emissions since the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The countries remained far apart Sunday morning on the basic scope of the agreement. The option proposed by Panama, supported by more than 100 countries, would create a target mechanism to reduce global plastic production, while the other proposal does not include production caps.
“If you don’t contribute in a positive way, and if you don’t try to join us in having an ambitious agreement… please get out,” Fiji’s chief negotiator, Climate Minister Sivendra Michael, told a news conference.
A small number of petrochemical producing nations such as Saudi Arabia have strongly opposed efforts to target plastic production and have tried to use procedural tactics to delay negotiations.
Saudi Arabia had no immediate comment.
China, the United States, India, South Korea and Saudi Arabia were the top five polymer producing countries in 2023, according to data provider Eunomia.
HOURS REMAINING
With hours of scheduled talks remaining and consensus seemingly out of reach, some negotiators and observers fear the talks could collapse or be extended into another session.
Even if a binding agreement is not reached in Busan, “this is an international process that can continue to serve that purpose,” the head of the Mexican delegation, Camila Zepeda, told Reuters.
“We have… a coalition of those who are willing, more than 100 countries want this, and we can start working together” to move forward.
Plastic production is on track to triple by 2050, and microplastics have been found in the air, in fresh produce and even in human breast milk.
The chairman of this meeting, Luis Vayas Valdivieso, will issue a revised document on Sunday that could be the basis of the agreement.
Environmental groups that watched the talks criticized the chairman’s document of Friday, saying that it does not talk enough about chemicals of concern or people’s health.
concerns about plastics include more than 3,200 findings according to the UN Environment Program’s 2023 report, which said women and children are most vulnerable to their toxicity.
“If it (the document) does not have the provisions of what we expect from an ambitious agreement, we will be … going back to the same process of pushing for an ambitious agreement,” Sivendra said.
“No one will leave Busan with a weak agreement.”
