Call for Urgency as Plastic Pollution Treaty Talks Lag Behind

BUSAN – Negotiations for a global treaty to curb plastic pollution faced growing frustration on Nov 27 as the chair of the talks, Ecuadorian diplomat Luis Vayas Valdivieso, urged countries to accelerate efforts and warned that progress was lagging far behind the urgency of the crisis.

The ongoing meeting in Busan, South Korea, involves nearly 200 nations aiming to finalize an agreement by Dec 1. However, despite four prior negotiation rounds over two years, deep divisions over the scope and ambition of the treaty continue to impede progress.

“I must be honest with you: progress has been too slow. We need to speed up our work significantly,” Valdivieso told delegates. His call was echoed by countries including Panama, Fiji, Colombia, and Norway, which expressed dismay over the lack of substantive progress.

Mounting Frustration

Panama’s representative, Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez, highlighted the growing urgency, citing alarming statistics about microplastics entering the human body, including through placentas, and criticized negotiators for “sidestepping ambition.” His remarks garnered loud applause from attendees.

Other diplomats accused some nations of stalling the process. While specific countries were not openly named, anonymous sources have consistently pointed to Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Iran as obstructing discussions, particularly around limiting plastic production.

Representatives from these nations denied the allegations. Iran’s delegate, Massoud Rezvanian Rahaghi, stated, “We are sincere, we are honest, and we are ready to cooperate,” while Russia’s Dmitry Kornilov condemned the accusations as “unacceptable.”

Major Sticking Points

The core disagreement centers on whether the treaty should address the full lifecycle of plastics, including production limits and restrictions on certain products, such as single-use plastics. Proponents argue such measures are essential to tackling the crisis at its source, while opponents, including Saudi Arabia and Iran, fear economic repercussions.

Saudi Arabia has warned that production limits could disrupt economies, while Iran has called for articles addressing plastic supply to be entirely removed from the treaty draft. Other contentious issues include financial support for developing nations and the decision-making process for adopting the treaty, with concerns that achieving unanimity may be impossible.

The Clock is Ticking

The urgency of the treaty comes as global plastic production is projected to triple by 2060, with just 9% of the 460 million tonnes produced in 2019 recycled, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

A European diplomat emphasized the need for bold compromises in the final days of negotiation but warned that divisions might derail the process if not resolved swiftly. “Four days to get to all that seems to me to be too little,” he cautioned.

The next steps will determine whether countries can bridge their differences and deliver a binding agreement to tackle the plastic pollution crisis, a milestone that environmentalists argue cannot afford further delays.