Countries remain divided as fifth UN plastics treaty talks begin in South Korea

BUSAN - As delegates from 175 countries gathered in Busan, South Korea, on Nov 25 for the fifth round of talks aimed at securing an international treaty to curb plastic pollution, lingering divisions cast doubts on whether a final agreement is in sight.

South Korea is hosting the fifth and ostensibly final UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) meeting this week, after the previous round of talks in Ottawa, Canada, in April ended without a path forward on capping plastic production.

Instead, talks will be focused on chemicals of concern and other measures, after petrochemical-producing nations such as Saudi Arabia and China strongly opposed efforts to target plastic production over the protests of countries that bear the brunt of such pollution.

The divisions plaguing plastics treaty talks echo conflicts that have long stalled United Nations efforts to curb global warming, with the most recent climate summit, COP29, having just ended with an agreement that poorer nations assailed as inadequate.

INC chairman Luis Vayas Valdivieso told reporters on Nov 25 that he was confident this week’s negotiations would yield a treaty or a text leading to one.

“Without significant intervention, the amount of plastic entering the environment annually by 2040 is expected to nearly double compared with 2022,” he said at the opening session in Busan.

“It is about humanity rising to meet an existential challenge,” he added, noting that microplastics have been found in human organs.

The US raised eyebrows in August when it said it would back plastic production caps in the treaty, putting it in alignment with the European Union, Kenya, Peru and other countries in the High Ambition Coalition.

The election of Donald Trump as US president, however, has raised questions about that position. During his first presidency, Trump shunned multilateral agreements and any commitments to slow or stop US oil and petrochemical production.

The US delegation did not answer questions on whether it would reverse its new position to support plastic production caps.

But it “supports ensuring that the global instrument addresses plastic products, chemicals used in plastic products, and the supply of primary plastic polymers”, according to a spokesperson for the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Ms Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, on Nov 25 urged delegates divided over curbing plastic products and chemicals and a financing mechanism to deal with plastic waste to remember that the 2022 UN Environment Assembly resolution called for “sustainable production and consumption of plastics taking a lifecycle approach”.

Impact on health

For a Pacific island country such as Fiji, a global plastics treaty is crucial to protect its fragile ecosystem and public health, said Dr Sivendra Michael, Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Environment and Climate Change.

He told Reuters on the sidelines of the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in November that despite not producing any plastic, Fiji is bearing the brunt of its downstream pollution.

“Where does this plastic end up? It ends up in our oceans, in our landfill, in our backyards.

“And the impact of the plastic breaking down into little substances has detrimental effects, not only on the environment but (also) on us as individuals, on our health,” he said, noting studies that showed most of the fish consumed in the country was polluted with microplastics.

While supporting an international treaty, the petrochemical industry has been vocal in urging governments to avoid setting mandatory plastic production caps, and focus on solutions for reducing plastic waste, like recycling.

“We would see a treaty successful if it would really put... emphasis on ending plastic pollution. Nothing else should be the focus,” said Dr Martin Jung, president for performance materials at German chemical producer BASF.

Previous talks have also discussed searching for forms of funding to help developing countries implement the treaty.

At COP29, France, Kenya and Barbados floated setting up a series of global levies on certain sectors, which could help ramp up the amount of money that could be made available to developing countries seeking support to aid their clean energy transition and cope with the increasingly severe impacts of climate change.

The proposal included a fee of US$60 (S$80) to US$70 on each tonne of primary polymer production, which is on average 5 per cent to 7 per cent of the polymer price, seen potentially raising US$25 billion to US$35 billion per year.

But industry groups rejected the idea, saying it would raise consumer prices. REUTERS