The world is one step closer to an agreement to end plastic pollution. (Zonderela Njaba).
- A world-first agreement to combat plastic pollution is within reach by the end of the year.
- The proposed cap on plastic production was not included in the draft global treaty.
- The fourth round of UN-led negotiations in Ottawa, Canada, concluded on Tuesday morning.
- For climate change news and analysis, visit: News24 The future of climate.
The fourth and penultimate round of U.N.-led negotiations to solve global plastic pollution concluded early Tuesday in Ottawa, setting no cap on polymer production by the end of the year, but saying it could be achieved by the end of the year. What is said to be the world's first agreement was concluded.
For the first time, representatives and observers from 175 countries will discuss a draft of what would become a global treaty to end the scourge of plastic, which exists from the tops of mountains to the depths of the oceans and even in our blood and breasts. did. milk.
The current session picked up where negotiations in Kenya left off five months ago.
The two leaders also agreed to hold a series of talks between now and the final round of talks in South Korea in November.
Canada's Parliamentary Secretary Julie Doublesingh said there was a “huge, monumental change in atmosphere and energy” at the Ottawa talks compared to the last time.
“I am very optimistic that we can reach an agreement by the end of the year to eliminate plastic pollution by 2040,” she said.
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Dabursingh and others welcomed the shift in negotiations from vague targets to treaty text and the rationalization of the options presented by Kenya.
However, the proposed cap on plastic production was not included in the draft and remains a major sticking point.
Although there is broad agreement on the need for a treaty, environmentalists calling for a reduction in plastic production remain at odds with oil-producing countries and the plastics industry, which favors recycling.
Recycling and production reduction
Ana Rocha, speaking on behalf of countries in the Global South, said: “There is a growing appetite to address primary plastic polymers under the Convention.”
Environmental groups say this is critical. “We can't end plastic pollution unless we reduce the amount of plastic we produce,” Greenpeace's Graham Forbes told AFP.
Annual production of plastic has more than doubled to 460 million tons in 20 years, and if left unchecked, it is on track to triple within 40 years.
“The success or failure of this treaty will depend on how well we do to reduce plastic production, and if we don't get that right, nothing else will work,” Forbes said.
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The G7 environment ministers meeting in Italy on Tuesday will recognize that “levels of plastic pollution are unsustainable and their increase is alarming” and pledged to reduce plastic production, the French delegation said. was expected to do so.
In an Ottawa motion, Peru and Rwanda proposed cutting plastic production by 40% over the next 15 years, in line with the Paris Agreement's climate change goals. Plastic production is a significant contributor to global warming, as most plastics are made from fossil fuels.
The motion was denied.
Chris Jahn, executive director of the International Council of Chemistry Societies, said the industry is “committed to a legally binding agreement” on plastic waste, but that the agreement is “for a healthier, more sustainable world.” This does not exclude the enormous social benefits that plastics bring to society.” . ”
Alejandra Parra, from Latin America, said recycling was a “false option”.
Many plastics are not recycled or cannot be recycled, she said. The process of melting plastic into new shapes also has its drawbacks, as it generates toxins and carbon emissions.
Collecting and sorting recyclable plastics is also relatively expensive.
