Countries Fail to Reach Agreement on Global Plastic Pollution Treaty
The fifth UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) meeting, held in Busan, South Korea, has concluded without a global treaty to curb plastic pollution. The meeting aimed to produce a legally binding agreement, but countries were unable to agree on key issues, including capping plastic production, managing plastic products and chemicals, and financing to help developing countries implement the treaty.
More than 100 countries backed a proposal by Panama to cap plastic production, while a handful of oil-producing countries, including Saudi Arabia, opposed this approach and instead sought to target plastic waste. The negotiations were marked by divisions, with some countries refusing to compromise and using procedural tactics to delay talks.
The UN Environment Programme’s executive director, Inger Andersen, said that “it is clear that there is still persisting divergence” and that the meeting would need to resume at a later date. The next INC meeting, dubbed INC 5.2, is planned for a future date.
Plastic production is expected to triple by 2050, and microplastics have been found in the air, fresh produce, and even human breast milk. The world’s top five primary polymer-producing nations in 2023 were China, the United States, India, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia. The lack of a treaty comes just days after the conclusion of the tumultuous COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, where a deal on climate finance was reached, but was deemed insufficient by some countries.
Negotiators expressed the urgency needed to reach a treaty, with Panama’s delegation head, Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez, stating, “Every day of delay is a day against humanity. Postponing negotiations does not postpone the crisis.” The stakes will be higher when the negotiations reconvene, he warned.