Countries negotiating a global treaty to curb plastic pollution have failed to reach an agreement, with more than 100 nations advocating for a cap on plastic production and a handful of oil-producing countries only willing to target plastic waste.
The fifth United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) meeting in Busan, South Korea was intended to be the final session. It was hoped the meeting would produce a legally binding global treaty.
If successful, it would have marked the most significant global climate pledge since the Paris Climate Accords in 2015, but the group of nations could only agree on Sunday to postpone negotiations to a later date.
Saudi Arabia, in particular, was accused of standing in the way. The country strongly opposed efforts to reduce plastic production and used procedural tactics to delay progress.
“It is clear that there is still persistent divergence,” Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, told the Reuters news agency.
One plan that received significant international support was proposed by Panama on Thursday. If adopted, it would have established a pathway for a global production reduction target, but it did not specify what that target would look like. Another proposal did not mention production caps at all.
Panama’s delegation head, Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez, lambasted the postponement of negotiations.
“Every day of delay is a day against humanity,” he said. “Postponing negotiations does not postpone the crisis.”
Based on current trends, plastic production is on track to triple by 2050.
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