Global negotiators have agreed to craft a draft treaty to end plastic pollution, a preliminary but crucial step toward tackling one of the most lasting sources of human waste.
Environmental advocates cautiously welcomed the outcome of five days of U.N. talks in Paris on plastic pollution, but expressed concern that the petroleum industry and some governments would water down the eventual treaty. Most plastic is made from fossil fuels.
Delegates at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for Plastics agreed Friday evening to produce an initial draft before their next meeting in Kenya in November, participants said. The committee is charged with developing the first international, legally binding treaty on plastic pollutio, on land and at sea.
A coalition of B次元官网网址渉igh-ambitionB次元官网网址� governments led by Norway and Rwanda, along with environmental groups, want to end plastic pollution altogether by 2040 by slashing production and limiting some chemicals used in making plastics.
B次元官网网址淧rojections suggest that a child born today will see plastic production double by the time they turn 18, but we know that the consequences of increasing plastic production will be disastrous for our health, the planet, and the climate,B次元官网网址� said Dr. Tadesse Amera, who led the International Pollutants Elimination NetworkB次元官网网址檚 delegation at the talks. B次元官网网址淭he stakes are high, but we are optimistic by the growing awareness among delegates of the need for global controls.B次元官网网址�
Countries with big petroleum industries like the U.S., China and Saudi Arabia are focusing instead on plastic recycling, and want country-by-country rules instead of across-the-board limits.
Stew Harris, senior director for global plastics policy at the American Chemistry Council, argued for allowing each government to B次元官网网址渦se the right tools based on their unique circumstances.B次元官网网址� In a statement to The Associated Press as the talks wrapped up, he said that circularity B次元官网网址� or reusing plastics B次元官网网址� was B次元官网网址渁t the forefront of the negotiations as a means to tackle pollution and be more sustainable in producing and consuming plastics. We agree thatB次元官网网址檚 the best path.B次元官网网址�
Humanity produces more than 430 million tons of plastic annually, two-thirds of which are short-lived products that soon become waste, filling the ocean and, often, working their way into the human food chain, the U.N. Environment Program said in an April report. Plastic waste produced globally is set to almost triple by 2060, with about half ending up in landfill and under a fifth recycled, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Over 2,000 participants from nearly 200 countries, including governments and observers, took part in this weekB次元官网网址檚 talks. Waste pickers and some advocacy groups said they were initially denied access to the talks. Then debates about rules of procedure B次元官网网址� including whether decisions would require consensus or just two-thirds approval B次元官网网址� dragged out the proceedings, participants said.
But they ultimately agreed to produce a draft treaty by November, which keeps things on track to produce a final version by the target deadline of late 2024. This weekB次元官网网址檚 talks were the second of five rounds of meetings due to take place to complete the negotiations.
B次元官网网址淭ime is running out and it is clear from this weekB次元官网网址檚 negotiations that oil-producing countries and the fossil fuel industry will do everything in their power to weaken the treaty and delay the process,B次元官网网址� said Graham Forbes of Greenpeace USA global plastics campaign. B次元官网网址淲hile some substantive discussions have taken place, there is still a huge amount of work ahead of us.B次元官网网址�
Angela Charlton And Jennifer Mcdermott, The Associated Press
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