Crucial week for a global treaty against plastic pollution | The plastic enemy

The latest round of negotiations on a global treaty against plastic pollution opens Monday in Pusan, South Korea. The diplomat who will chair the debates, Luis Vayas Valdivieso, urges countries not to miss “a once-in-a-generation opportunity”.

Plastic pollution is so widespread that it has even been detected in clouds, in the deepest ocean trenches, and in virtually every part of the human body including the brain and breast milk.

While everyone agrees that the problem exists, opinions differ radically on how to combat it.

In Pusan, delegations have a week to agree on thorny issues such as capping plastic production, the possible ban on toxic chemical substances or even the financing of the measures that will be provided for by the treaty.

There are real divergences on several key elementsrecognized Sunday Inger Andersen, head of the United Nations environment program. I am convinced that we can get there, but everyone will have to do a bit of their part.

In 2019, the world produced around 460 million tonnes of plastic, a figure that has doubled since 2000, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

More than 90% of plastic is never recycled, and more than 20 million tonnes end up in the environment every year, often after just a few minutes of use.

Plastic also accounts for 3% of global carbon emissions, mainly due to its production from fossil fuels.

Two camps

In Pusan, two camps oppose each other. First there is the Coalition of high ambitions (HAC), which brings together many African, European and Asian states. These countries want a treaty covering the entire life cycle plastics, from production to waste.

In the opposing camp, other countries, mainly large oil producers like Russia and Saudi Arabia, would like the treaty to only concern waste management.

The HAC campaigns for binding global targets to reduce production and waste, and for the imposition of changes in the design of plastics to facilitate their reuse or recycling. She warned the parties against special interests that could derail a deal.

These divisions paralyzed the previous four rounds of negotiations, which resulted in a draft treaty of more than 70 pages that was, by all accounts, completely unworkable.

Luis Vayas Valdivieso, the Ecuadorian diplomat who chairs the negotiations, has designed an alternative plan. More readable, the 17-page text emphasizes common areas, such as the need to promote reusable plastics.

However, it leaves aside the most controversial issues, to the great dismay of the most ambitious countries and environmental organizations.

Mr. Valdivieso nevertheless estimated on Sunday that a common understanding emergedwhile reminding delegations that they only have 63 hours of work during this crucial week to reach an agreement.

This treaty is a once-in-a-generation opportunityhe said.

Some observers predict that the negotiations will be prolonged, especially after the difficult United Nations conferences on climate and biodiversity in recent weeks.

Towards reaching an agreement

Ms Andersen and Mr Valdivieso insist that a deal be reached in Pusan. What worries some ONGwho fear that delegations will agree on a soft and timid treaty just to save face by signing something.

The position of the United States and China, which have not openly sided with either side, will prove crucial.

Earlier this year, the United States suggested it would support production limits, but has since changed its mind, according to media reports.

Donald Trump’s return to the White House has also raised questions about the level of ambition of the American delegation in Pusan. Some negotiators also wonder what is the point of seeking support from the United States for a treaty that risks never being ratified by Washington.

A few hours before the opening of negotiations, ONG handed delegates a petition with nearly three million signatures calling for a legally binding treaty.

Governments can and must write the treaty people demandand who will protect the world and nature now and for generations to comesaid Eirik Lindebjerg, global head of plastics policy at the NGO World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).