By Joyce Lee and Valerie Volcovici
BUSAN, South Korea (Reuters) – Negotiators seeking an international treaty to curb plastic pollution are bracing for intense debate on the final day of scheduled talks, as more than 100 countries back a pact that would limit plastic production They face a handful of oil-producing countries that want them to focus only on waste.
The fifth and final meeting of the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) to achieve a legally binding international treaty will conclude in Busan on Sunday, but a final plenary session has not been scheduled as of Sunday morning.
The treaty expected to emerge from these talks could be the most significant agreement related to environmental protection and climate-warming emissions since the 2015 Paris Agreement.
As of Sunday, the countries remained far apart on the basic scope of the treaty, with one option proposed by Panama – and backed by more than 100 countries – creating a path to a global goal of reducing plastic production and another that does not allow limits on production at all.
Some negotiators said some countries were still not budging on their demands as of Saturday night.
“We have more than 100 countries that are really ambitious. On the other hand, we have a small group of countries that… are basically running the clock and not moving forward,” said Anthony Agotha, EU special envoy for climate and environment. .
“We really need to address the full life cycle of plastics because we can’t recycle our way out of this crisis… We can’t run on one foot,” he said.
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 had no immediate comment.
China, the United States, India, South Korea and Saudi Arabia were the top five polymer-producing nations in 2023, according to data provider Eunomia.
HOURS REMAINING
With only a few hours left in the scheduled talks and consensus seemingly out of reach, some negotiators and observers fear the talks could collapse or spill into another session.
“We are at a crossroads right now,” the head of the Panama delegation, Juan Carlos Monterrey Gómez, said on Saturday.
“Postponing this to another meeting would be a fatal wound not only to planetary health, but also to human health… we must reach an outcome that elevates the fight.”
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.
Environmental groups watching the talks criticized a document released Friday by Committee Chairman Luis Vayas Valdivieso that could form the basis of a treaty for issues such as failing to adequately address chemicals of concern or human health.
Concerns in plastics include more than 3,200 found according to a 2023 United Nations Environment Program report, which said women and children were particularly susceptible to its toxicity.
“We are confident that the President, with such an overwhelming majority of ambitions, can lead us to a successful conclusion of INC-5,” Agotha said.