BUSAN, South Korea: Doubts rose on sealing a global treaty to curb plastic pollution on the last day of scheduled talks, as over 100 countries pushed to cap production while a handful of oil-producing countries wanted to focus only on plastic waste.
The fifth and final UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting to yield a legally binding global treaty was set to wrap up in Busan, South Korea, on Sunday (Dec 1), but a final plenary session had not been held as of 4pm.
A treaty could be the most significant deal relating to environmental protection as well as climate-warming emissions since the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Countries remained far apart on Sunday on the basic scope of the treaty. An option proposed by Panama, backed by over 100 countries, would create a path for a global plastic production reduction target, while another proposal did not include production caps.
The fault line was apparent in a revised document released on Sunday by the chair of the meeting, Luis Vayas Valdivieso, which could form the basis of a treaty but remained riddled with many options on the most divisive issues: Capping plastic production, managing plastic products and chemicals of concern, and financing to help developing countries implement the treaty.
Some negotiators and environmental groups observing the talks expressed profound disappointment.
“If you’re calling for a high, ambitious treaty, it means that (it’s) calling for obligations, commitments on the part of all parties,” said Dr Sam Adu-Kumi, Lead Negotiator for Ghana.
If there was no such ambitious treaty, “it means that we have to go and come back another time, not Busan but maybe somewhere else”, Dr Adu-Kumi told Reuters.
A smaller 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 did not have an immediate comment.
China, the United States, India, South Korea and Saudi Arabia were the top five primary polymer-producing nations in 2023, according to data provider Eunomia.
“If you’re not contributing constructively, and if you’re not trying to join us in having an ambitious treaty … then please get out,” Fiji’s chief negotiator, Climate Minister Sivendra Michael, told a press conference.
