Plastic summit in Busan ends without treaty

The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution, which had met at the South Korean city of Busan and parleyed for a week and more to reach a treaty to curb plastic pollution after two years of negotiations, had ended in a deadlock. The much expected treaty of phasing out plastic, or doing away with some of the harmful chemicals involved in the production of plastic, could not be agreed upon.

There were the countries pushing for a treaty but which did not guarantee the elimination of plastic, and there were the countries who did not want to sign on a weak treaty which did not amount to much in reality. And the two groups blamed each other for the failure to reach an agreement. What was overlooked was the fact that China and the United States, the largest producers of plastic, kept away from the negotiations. Plastic pollution cannot end unless the use of plastic is ended, and it seems an almost impossible task given the fact that plastic is used in so many things, big and small, that it would be difficult to find a replacement. That is why, the emphasis has been on phasing out, which could spread over years and even decades. Representatives of 200 nations jostled with each other, and the session went into overtime into Sunday. But it became difficult to sign the treaty.

Chair of the meeting, Luis Vaya Valdivieso said progress was made on the issue but accepted the fact that there were “a few critical issues” which prevented from reaching a “comprehensive agreement.” He said talks will continue. He said, “These unresolved issues remain challenging and additional time will be needed to address them effectively. There is a general agreement to resume the current session at a later date to conclude our negotiations.”

There were differing views on the failure of the meeting to reach an agreement. Senegal representative Cheikh Syla said, “If you ask me...we stop, we adapt the paper as it is and we try to do another session.” While a French minister blamed the countries that were unwilling to sign on an agreement, the Rwandan delegate hit back saying that his country would not sign on a “toothless” agreement, and blamed the small group of countries that were “unsupportive of the measures necessary to drive real change.”

Portuguese delegate Maria Joao Teixeira struck a conciliatory note when she said that another session would be the best way for reaching a meaningful agreement. She sad, “We are really trying to not have a weak treaty. We know what we need to do to end plastic pollution...simply adding more meetings is not the solution.”

It is estimated that nearly 100 countries were supporting a target to cut production, and a dozen countries wanted to eliminate the use of dangerous chemicals to produce unnecessary plastic products. But the hurdle was the stance of China and the United States, which remained unclear.

The United States, under Donald Trump, who is set to take over as President on January 20, is not going to yield any ground on the issue of pollution and climate change. He believes that any compromise would weaken the American economy. The ideal solution would of course be for the world to stop using plastic which is easier than done.

Plastic has become a part of everyday life for more than 70 years now. And it is not easy to cut back on its use in a hurry. There is no doubt however that the continued used of plastic and the pollution that it causes is enormous, and it will only add to the mounting climate change crisis.