World
will be ‘unable to cope’ with volume of plastic waste in 10 years, warns expert
Countries
must curb production now and tackle plastic’s full life cycle, says Norwegian
minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim ahead of key UN talks this week
Karen
McVeigh
Sun 24 Nov
2024 09.00 GMT
The world
will be “unable to cope” with the sheer volume of plastic waste a decade from
now unless countries agree to curbs on production, the co-chair of a coalition
of key countries has warned ahead of crunch talks on curbing global plastic
pollution.
Speaking
before the final, critical round of UN talks on the first global treaty to end
plastic waste, in Busan, South Korea, this week, Norway’s minister for
international development, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, acknowledged the split that
had developed between plastic-producing countries and others. She represents
more than 60 “high ambition” nations, led by Rwanda and Norway, who want
plastic pollution tackled over its full life cycle. Crucially, this means
clamping down heavily on production.
While a
“perfect treaty” may not be possible due to the strength of opposition, mainly
from oil-producing countries, she hoped a deal could be reached that could be
strengthened over time.
“We are not
going to land a perfect treaty. But we need to get further. And I think we
will. I choose to be hopeful,” Tvinnereim said. “With high-ambition coalition
countries, we will continue to demonstrate that there is a big group of
countries that sticks to its ambitions. The world desperately needs some
leadership now, and some good news.”
This year,
various researchers found microplastics in every sample of placenta they
tested; in human arteries, where plastics are linked to heart attacks and
strokes; in human testes and semen, adding to evidence of the ubiquity of
plastics and concern over health risks. The plastics crisis is widely
recognised as a threat to human health, biodiversity and the climate.
Two years
after a historic agreement by 175 countries to adopt a mandate on negotiations
for a global, legally binding treaty to address the whole life cycle of
plastics, delegates remain widely divided on what to do – and a deadline is
looming. Progress has stalled over a row about the need for cuts to the $712bn
plastics industry. The last talks, in April, failed to get an agreement to put
production targets – seen as key to curbing plastic waste – at the treaty’s
centre.
The final
round of talks, which starts on Monday and is due to end on 1 December, is
critical.
“We need
increased recycling and waste management, of course, but if we don’t reduce
production and consumption we will be unable to cope with the volume of plastic
in the system 10 years from now,” said Tvinnereim.
Use of
plastic could triple globally by 2060, with the largest increases expected in
sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Plastic waste is also projected to triple by 2060,
with half ending up in landfill and less than a fifth recycled.
An agreement
on a “phase out” of a list of single use plastic products globally, as well as
bans on poisonous chemicals in plastic – including for food contact plastic and
children’s toys – was a “no-brainer”, said Tvinnereim. Many countries already
have unilateral single-use plastics bans.
Fractious
negotiations have seen divergent views, and countries with large fossil fuel
industries such as Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran, dubbed the “like-minded”
group, have eschewed production cuts and emphasised waste management as the
main solution to the crisis. Developing nations, which bear the consequences of
plastic overproduction overwhelming their inadequate waste systems, are calling
for global cuts.
The
uncertainty dogging the talks has been exacerbated by the US position. One of
the largest plastic producers, the US recently signalled it would support a
treaty calling for curbs on production. But the impending return of Donald
Trump, a fossil fuel advocate, as US president in January, has led to doubts.
The US would
be “very welcome” to join the coalition, Tvinnereim said. There was also
opportunity for China and others to show leadership.
A negotiator
for one of the “high ambition” countries said: “If we can see China stepping
up, as we have seen them do elsewhere and domestically, we have a good chance
of creating an effective instrument. If we don’t, it is going to be very
difficult.”
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário