Plastic pollution treaty talks begin in South Korea

A FINAL ROUND of talks on a UN treaty to end plastic pollution began this morning in South Korea, with deep differences between nations emerging almost immediately.

The meeting opened just hours after a chaotic end to the COP29 climate talks in Baku, which agreed to a boost in climate funding that developing countries slammed as insufficient.

Opening the meeting in Busan, the chair of the talks warned nations that the conference was about “far more than drafting an international treaty”, and that the issue was about meeting an “existential challenge”.

Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that it has been found in clouds, the deepest ocean trenches and even human breast milk. While almost everyone agrees it is a problem, there is less consensus on how to solve it.

Among the most contentious issues are whether the treaty should cap plastic production, a possible ban on chemicals feared toxic to human health and how to pay for implementation.

The deep differences have dogged four previous rounds of talks over the last two years, resulting in a lengthy and contradictory draft treaty running over 70 pages. The chair today produced an alternative document, intended to synthesise the views of all.

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But several countries, including Russia and India, warned this morning that they were not willing to use it as a basis for negotiations. Saudi Arabia’s delegation, representing the Arab group, said many of its members do not feel represented in the draft.

Both UN Environment Programme chief Inger Andersen and the chair of this meeting insist a deal must be reached during these negotiations. Some environmental groups are worried an agreement will be watered down to ensure something is signed.

“After two back-to-back failed summits on nature and climate, Busan needs to be a refuge from further nature and climate inaction,” the WWF warned this morning.

Key to any accord will be the United States and China, neither of which have openly sided with either bloc.

In 2019, the world produced around 460 million tonnes of plastic, a figure that has doubled since 2000, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Plastic production is expected to triple by 2060. More than 90% of plastic is not recycled, with over 20 million tonnes leaking into the environment, often after just a few minutes of use.

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

- © AFP 2024