The UN knows that plastic pollutes our cosmetics, our food and even our babies’ diapers. For this reason, these days we are seeking to reach an “ambitious” agreement that limits global contamination by this almost omnipresent material, which sneaks into our food, is found in the air we breathe and, according to the latest studies, accumulates within our body.
Specifically, today begins what will be the fifth and final round of negotiations of the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committeewhich was formed in 2022 under a United Nations resolution with the mandate to develop a legal instrument that limits plastic toxicity. Its existence is based on the commitment to end this type of pollution by 2040. The discussions in this last session will focus on the control of the production of synthetic polymers, which are the ones that have been making headlines for their ability to end up in the body. human.
At the moment, international regulations on plastic pollution are in a consolidation process, led by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and focused on the creation of a legally binding global treaty, scheduled for the end of 2024. This instrument seeks to address all stages of the life cycle of plastics, from their design to their management at the end of their useful life. Its main objective is reduce global plastic pollution by 80%l by 2040, driving a transition towards a circular economy.
With the participation of representatives from 175 countries and some 600 observer organizations, the panel began its work today in the city of Busan, southeast of South Korea and will have until Sunday, December 1, to try to reach a binding treaty that regulates pollution derived from the use of plastics and its impact on human health and the environment.
However, the progress of the negotiations has found its first stick in the wheel. There are two clearly differentiated groups: countries in favor of greater regulation of the sector (among which is Spain) and those others whose national interests are marked by the weight of their petrochemical industry (such as Algeria, Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates).
The UN leadership speaks sincerely
“We have a real opportunity to do something about it.and we hope that this will be an ambitious starting point to internationally regulate the problem of plastics,” said the executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, Inger Andersen, at a press conference on the occasion of the start of the session.
Andersen pointed out three specific points to be resolved during the Busan meeting: identifying certain chemical compounds present in plastics that may pose a risk to human health, achieving “sustainable” production and consumption of plastics, and creating a financial mechanism to support the long-term international efforts to control the plastic waste problem.
When asked about the difficulties in reaching an agreement Regarding the second point, that of controlling the international production of certain plastics, Andersen admitted that it is a complex issue and opted to focus the efforts of the negotiations on the first point and try to advance the existing consensus.
“We know that there are compounds that we do not want in our cosmeticsnear the food we are going to eat, or in baby diapers… Let’s start here and establish a process to identify them, include them in a list and thus be able to control them better,” he said.
“I don’t expect the negotiations to be easy, but it is clear that There is a desire among citizens to address this problem and also political will,” said Andersen, who said that the complexity of the negotiations “should not lower the bar” and lead to “an insignificant agreement.”
Plastic is one of the most urgent global crises of our time
For his part, the president of the committee, the Ecuadorian Luis Vayas, was “optimistic” about the chances of agreeing a treaty that represents “a real change” when it comes to protecting human health and the planet, in addition to “guaranteeing a more sustainable future.”
The president of the INC classified plastic pollution “as one of the most urgent global environmental crises of our time“, and cited data such as that plastics represent 80% of all ocean pollution, or that between 8 and 10 million metric tons of this waste end up in the oceans each year.
The production of plastics also carries a financial burden of 2.5 billion dollars annually to the global economy due to its impact on ecosystems or human health, said Vayas, who highlighted that the treaty sought in Busan “will not only serve to protect human health or the planet, but also to support sustainable economic development and promote innovation in the plastics industry.
On the eve of the start of the fifth negotiation (INC-5), an NGO platform sent the participating delegations a petition signed by 3 million people from around the world which calls for “a legally binding global treaty to drastically reduce the use and production of plastics and protect human health and the environment.” The main environmental NGOs behind this initiative, Greenpeace, WWF and Break Free from Plastic, urged governments to “reverse the global plastics crisis” and “reject any attempt to dilute the content of the agreement by excluding key measures.”