Plastic pollution

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Countries fail to reach consensus despite having six rounds of talks over three years

GENEVA – Talks aimed at striking a landmark global treaty on plastic pollution fell apart on Aug 15 as countries failed to find consensus on how the world should tackle the ever-growing scourge.

Negotiators from 185 nations worked beyond Aug 14’s deadline and through the night in an ultimately futile search for common ground.

A large bloc wants bold action such as curbing plastic production, while a smaller clutch of producing states want to focus more narrowly on waste management.

The stalemate was a resounding failure for the environment and for international diplomacy at a time when its frailties are in the spotlight.

Countries voiced anger and despair as the talks unravelled, but said they wanted future negotiations – despite six rounds of talks over three years now – had failed to find agreement.

“We have missed a historic opportunity but we have to keep going and act urgently,” said Colombia.

Colombia added: “The negotiations were consistently slowed by a small number of countries who simply don’t want an agreement.”

Trusal, speaking for island nations whose economies are at risk, said: “For our islands, this shows that without global cooperation and state action, millions of tonnes of plastic waste will continue to be dumped in our oceans, affecting our ecosystems, food security, livelihood and culture.”

The High Ambition Coalition, which includes the European Union, Britain and Canada, and many African and Latin American countries, wanted to see language on reducing plastic production and the phasing out of toxic chemicals used in plastics.

The cluster of mostly oil-producing states calling themselves the Like-Minded Group – including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Russia, Iran and Malaysia – want a much narrower remit.

These countries railed against the negotiations being focused on the entire life cycle of plastics: from the petroleum-derived feedstock stage right through to waste.

“Our views were not respected, without an agreed scope, the process cannot remain on the right track,” said Kuwait.

Bahrain said it wanted a deal that “does not penalise developing countries or exploit those with their own resources”.

France’s Ecological Transition Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said: “I am disappointed and even angry”, blaming a handful of countries “guided by their industrial and financial interests for blocking an ambitious treaty”.

Oil-producing countries and their allies have chosen to look the other way,” she said.

The talks in Geneva – called after the failure of earlier rounds – supposedly finalised the last draft of the treaty text, but the outcome is far from settled.

With countries far apart, Colombian minister Luis Vayas said delegates would have to improve draft texts on Aug 13 and onwards, “if they can”.

The second, and sometimes much-feared option is that the talks resume with the text as is, but attention now shifts to the binding elements.

If the agreement cannot be reached within the next three months, Colombia said, “maybe it's better to stop and start anew”.

UNEP chief Inger Andersen said the process needed time, but regretted the outcome: “It's almost expected,” she said. And it's amongst one another that the answers will be found.

However, environmentalists warn that the process itself has slipped.

The Centre for International Environmental Law’s David Azoulay said talks had been “overtaken by tactical moves and the imposition of national interests at the expense of the consensus-based process”.

Mr Azoulay said: “If we want to deliver meaningful action, countries need to find common ground.”

He said the talks exposed how “outsized interests still hold international environmental negotiations hostage”.

More than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally each year, half of which is for single-use items.

Yet 9 per cent of plastic is recycled globally, and much ends up in landfills, rivers and oceans.

Nearly half, or 46 per cent, ends up in Asia, where China is the largest market and producer. India accounted for data drift ? The United States is the biggest consumer and 22 per cent ends up there.

Current trends suggest plastic pollution will nearly triple by 2060 to 1.2 billion tonnes a year, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. AFF