Diplomats and climate advocates warn that efforts by the European Union and small island states to cap virgin plastic production - fuelled by petroleum, coal and gas - are threatened by opposition from petrochemical-producing countries and the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump.
“This is really our last best chance. As pollution grows, it deepens the burden for those who are least responsible and least able to adapt,“ said Ilana Seid, permanent representative of Palau and chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS).
The most divisive issues include capping production, managing plastic products and chemicals of concern, and financing to help developing countries implement the treaty.
Government spokespeople for Saudi Arabia and Russia were not immediately available for comment.
“We are in a moment of revisionism, where even science is highly politicized,“ he said.
A source familiar with the talks said the U.S. seeks to limit the treaty’s scope to downstream issues like waste disposal, recycling and product design.
Over 1,000 delegates, including scientists and petrochemical lobbyists, will attend the talks, raising concerns among proponents of an ambitious agreement that industry influence may create a watered-down deal focused on waste management, instead of production limits.
Stewart Harris, spokesperson for the International Council of Chemical Associations, said the U.S. in particular has an opportunity “not just at the negotiating table, but really on the implementation of the agreement” to promote the use of new technologies in mechanical recycling and advanced recycling, which turns plastic waste into fuels, plastics and other products, globally.
A group of House of Representatives Republicans led by Representative Dan Crenshaw of Texas urged the U.S. delegation to push for a treaty that focuses on expanding recycling technology, while a group of Senate Democrats led by Senator Jeff Merkely of Oregon pushed for a deal that includes plastic production caps.
ISLAND STATES VULNERABLE
“Plastics are a concern for human health because (plastic) contains about 16,000 chemicals, and a quarter of these are known to be hazardous to human health,“ said Dr. Melanie Bergmann of the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany.
French politician Philippe Bolo, a member of the global Interparliamentary Coalition to End Plastic Pollution, said that a weak, watered-down treaty that focuses on waste management must be avoided.
Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, however, said countries should push for a meaningful pact agreed by consensus.
“We’re not here to get something meaningless... you would want something that is effective, that has everybody inside, and therefore everybody committed to it,“ she said. - Reuters
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