Crucial Phase Reached in Canada for Negotiations on Global Plastic Pollution Treaty

24 April 2024 Noah Perreault

Ottawa hosts thousands of representatives from nations worldwide, convening to address the urgent challenge of plastic pollution. The United Nations Environment Programme reports a staggering influx of 2,000 garbage trucks worth of plastic into our oceans, rivers, and lakes daily. As concerns grow over the ingestion of microplastics, negotiators face the pivotal task of refining a draft treaty. Key decisions loom regarding its focus: whether to prioritize human health and the environment, curtail plastic production, regulate certain plastic-related chemicals, or adopt a multifaceted approach. A coalition of nations, advocating under the banner of a ‘high ambition coalition,’ presses for ambitious measures.

Conversely, there’s an option for the agreement to adopt a narrower focus, emphasizing plastic waste management and bolstered recycling efforts, aligning with the preferences of certain plastic-producing and oil and gas exporting nations.

In March 2022, representatives from 175 nations committed to finalizing the inaugural legally-binding treaty addressing plastic pollution, including its impact on oceans, by the close of 2024. The compressed timeline reflects the acute need for action on this pressing issue. This gathering marks the fourth session of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for Plastics, with one more meeting remaining on the agenda.

Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of UNEP, described this as a unique opportunity to address a widely acknowledged problem: the unnatural presence of plastic in the environment.

“People worldwide are appalled by the visible consequences: the turtle with a straw in its nose, the whale entangled in fishing gear. This is not the future we aspire to,” she emphasized in an interview. Andersen clarified that the objective isn’t to vilify plastic altogether, recognizing its myriad beneficial uses. However, she stressed the importance of the treaty targeting disposable and short-lived plastic items, frequently disposed of through burial, incineration, or dumping.

The global trajectory of plastic production remains on a steady incline and is anticipated to double or even triple by 2050 if current trends persist.

A recent report from researchers at the federal Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory delves into the climate implications of ongoing plastic production. Their findings suggest that under conservative growth scenarios, greenhouse gas emissions stemming from this process could more than double. This projected increase could consume between 21% to 26% of the remaining global carbon budget. This budget delineates the allowable carbon emissions between now and 2050 to adhere to the international goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since the 1850s.

Given that most plastics derive from fossil fuels, the imperative to transition away from these sources was underscored by negotiators at the United Nations climate talks, COP28, last December. The consensus among participants was the need to accelerate the shift towards renewable energy sources, aiming to triple their utilization.

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