Spain and the EU frustrated as efforts to curb plastic pollution fail at the UN thanks to opposition from oil-producing countries
FOLLOWING a long night of negotiations, efforts to finalize the first global pact against plastic pollution at the UN has failed again.
Approximately 180 countries attended the meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, lasting from Aug 5 to Friday morning.
The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) set a goal in 2022 to have a completed treaty by the end of that year. Despite six meetings over the past two and a half years, the countries have been unable to come to an agreement.
Since the meeting’s suspension this morning, a majority of the countries involved have expressed a desire to resume talks in a couple months.
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One primary point of contention is a possible limitation on plastic production. Though some European nations consider this step essential, other countries whose economies heavily rely on fossil fuels, such as Saudi Arabia, insist that the treaty focus solely on pollution.
Still, many experts agree that limiting plastic production is the recommended way to limit pollution. Since plastic production is particularly low cost, it is distributed and replaced in high volumes, leading to a low recycling rate. Many plastic products ultimately end up in poorly managed waste facilities.
Ecuadorian diplomat Luis Vayas presented two draft agreements during the final phase in Geneva. The first did not include production reduction, while the second was open to placing limits on specific products.
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The second text did not reach a consensus, and following discussions it remained unclear how deliberations would proceed.
Marta Gómez Palenque, Director General of Quality and Environmental Assessment at Spain’s Ministry for Ecological Transition, said that ‘progress has been made in reaching agreements with countries that until now had been at odds on important issues.’
However, Palenque also noted: ‘We haven’t been able to reach an agreement; we’re leaving with two texts on which there is no consensus.
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