Zürcher Nachrichten - Plastic pollution talks fail to reach landmark deal

EUR -
AED 3.832684
AFN 72.959602
ALL 98.462959
AMD 410.45402
ANG 1.873047
AOA 957.921829
ARS 1062.031565
AUD 1.668562
AWG 1.878277
AZN 1.784801
BAM 1.956057
BBD 2.098476
BDT 124.196346
BGN 1.95543
BHD 0.392152
BIF 3072.704402
BMD 1.043487
BND 1.411486
BOB 7.181945
BRL 6.350643
BSD 1.039337
BTN 88.357629
BWP 14.364891
BYN 3.401248
BYR 20452.35176
BZD 2.089175
CAD 1.498735
CDF 2994.808319
CHF 0.931781
CLF 0.03736
CLP 1030.865674
CNY 7.613704
CNH 7.60587
COP 4549.298739
CRC 524.369013
CUC 1.043487
CUP 27.652414
CVE 110.279514
CZK 25.108428
DJF 185.074358
DKK 7.458116
DOP 63.288329
DZD 140.667513
EGP 53.089373
ERN 15.65231
ETB 129.556951
FJD 2.417812
FKP 0.826423
GBP 0.829839
GEL 2.932642
GGP 0.826423
GHS 15.278011
GIP 0.826423
GMD 75.13081
GNF 8979.181761
GTQ 8.008054
GYD 217.438617
HKD 8.11073
HNL 26.382472
HRK 7.484837
HTG 135.967895
HUF 414.03543
IDR 16874.546735
ILS 3.801242
IMP 0.826423
INR 88.646863
IQD 1361.479186
IRR 43917.772492
ISK 145.170484
JEP 0.826423
JMD 162.611401
JOD 0.739936
JPY 163.242118
KES 134.177659
KGS 90.783029
KHR 4176.549681
KMF 486.395546
KPW 939.138018
KRW 1509.320727
KWD 0.321342
KYD 0.866114
KZT 545.821836
LAK 22747.993892
LBP 93069.24896
LKR 305.14016
LRD 188.634826
LSL 19.134218
LTL 3.081147
LVL 0.631195
LYD 5.106672
MAD 10.460077
MDL 19.14352
MGA 4903.645375
MKD 61.5431
MMK 3389.206159
MNT 3545.769827
MOP 8.320295
MRU 41.33344
MUR 49.25222
MVR 16.052761
MWK 1802.137182
MXN 20.931771
MYR 4.704048
MZN 66.682732
NAD 19.134218
NGN 1616.92545
NIO 38.245033
NOK 11.810924
NPR 141.372606
NZD 1.846749
OMR 0.401533
PAB 1.039337
PEN 3.870109
PGK 4.214555
PHP 61.430102
PKR 289.288974
PLN 4.258903
PYG 8104.066586
QAR 3.788799
RON 4.979106
RSD 117.045935
RUB 107.244587
RWF 1448.790677
SAR 3.91966
SBD 8.748133
SCR 14.551486
SDG 627.662417
SEK 11.505215
SGD 1.414024
SHP 0.826423
SLE 23.787187
SLL 21881.410825
SOS 593.978174
SRD 36.65877
STD 21598.081035
SVC 9.094197
SYP 2621.793487
SZL 19.129518
THB 35.780887
TJS 11.369896
TMT 3.662641
TND 3.311736
TOP 2.44395
TRY 36.710281
TTD 7.053928
TWD 34.050018
TZS 2468.324859
UAH 43.588037
UGX 3812.501768
USD 1.043487
UYU 46.356101
UZS 13399.76356
VES 53.713772
VND 26561.970104
VUV 123.884906
WST 2.882934
XAF 656.043343
XAG 0.035154
XAU 0.000398
XCD 2.820076
XDR 0.792804
XOF 656.043343
XPF 119.331742
YER 261.263155
ZAR 19.096059
ZMK 9392.640903
ZMW 28.762786
ZWL 336.002496
  • RBGPF

    59.9600

    59.96

    +100%

  • RELX

    -0.3100

    45.47

    -0.68%

  • NGG

    0.8200

    58.5

    +1.4%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0100

    7.27

    -0.14%

  • SCS

    -0.5800

    11.74

    -4.94%

  • RIO

    -0.0900

    58.64

    -0.15%

  • CMSC

    0.0200

    23.86

    +0.08%

  • CMSD

    0.0000

    23.56

    0%

  • VOD

    0.0100

    8.39

    +0.12%

  • BCC

    -0.2600

    122.75

    -0.21%

  • BCE

    0.0500

    23.16

    +0.22%

  • GSK

    0.1700

    33.6

    +0.51%

  • BTI

    0.1131

    36.24

    +0.31%

  • JRI

    0.1100

    12.06

    +0.91%

  • AZN

    0.9100

    65.35

    +1.39%

  • BP

    0.1900

    28.6

    +0.66%

Plastic pollution talks fail to reach landmark deal
Plastic pollution talks fail to reach landmark deal / Photo: SONNY TUMBELAKA - AFP/File

Plastic pollution talks fail to reach landmark deal

Deeply divided negotiators failed on Sunday to reach a landmark global treaty to curb plastic pollution, missing a self-imposed deadline, and agreed to extend their talks.

Text size:

For a week, delegates from nearly 200 nations meeting in South Korea have wrestled with how to stop millions of tonnes of plastic waste entering the environment each year.

Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peak, in the deepest ocean trench and scattered throughout almost every part of the human body.

Two years ago, countries agreed they would find a way to address the crisis by the end of 2024.

But a week of talks in Busan has failed to resolve deep divisions between "high-ambition" countries seeking a globally binding agreement to limit production and phase out harmful chemicals, and "like-minded", mostly oil-producing nations that want to focus on waste.

A draft text released Sunday afternoon after multiple delays included a wide range of options, reflecting ongoing disagreement.

And chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso acknowledged late Sunday that "a few critical issues still prevent us from reaching a comprehensive agreement."

"These unresolved issues remain challenging and additional time will be needed to address them effectively," he said.

"There is a general agreement to resume the current session at a later date to conclude our negotiations."

Several nations took to the floor to support the call for more time -- but their agreement ended there.

Rwandan delegate Juliet Kabera spoke of "strong concerns about ongoing calls by a small group of countries to remove binding provisions from the text that are indispensable for the treaty to be effective."

She delivered a statement on behalf of dozens of countries, demanding a treaty with targets to reduce production and phase out chemicals of concern.

"A treaty that lacks these elements and only relies on voluntary measures would not be acceptable," she said, inviting supporting delegations to stand up to extensive applause from the plenary room.

- 'Huge gap' -

Saudi Arabia's Abdulrahman Al Gwaiz however pushed back strongly on continued discussion of production or chemicals of concern.

"If you address plastic pollution, there should be no problem with producing plastics, because the problem is the pollution, not the plastics themselves," he said.

Backed by allies including other Arab nations, Russia and Iran, he insisted that every part of a latest draft text should "be open for proposals" if talks continue.

Iran too said there was still a "huge gap" between parties, while Russia warned that agreeing a treaty was "being hampered by ambitions on the part of certain parties that are too high."

The comments raised the prospect that any new talks could follow the pattern seen in Busan, where repeated attempts by the chair to synthesise and streamline text encountered resistance.

Delegations seeking an ambitious treaty earlier warned that a handful of countries was steadfastly blocking progress.

A French minister accused the like-minded group of "continuing obstruction," while Fiji's Sivendra Michael called out a "very minority group" for "blocking the process."

Diplomats have declined to directly name those preventing a deal, but public statements and submissions have shown Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia have sought to block production cuts and other ambitious goals.

All three delegations declined repeated AFP requests for comment.

Environmental groups warned that another round of talks could be similarly hamstrung if ambitious countries were not willing to push for a vote.

"We need to break out of this cage of consensus that is condemning us to failure, and start to think much more creatively about how we deliver a treaty that the world desperately needs," said Greenpeace's Graham Forbes.

"For too long, a small minority of states have held the negotiation process hostage," added Eirik Lindebjerg of WWF.

"These countries have no intention of finding a meaningful solution to this crisis and yet they continue to prevent the large majority of states who do."

The world's top two plastic producers -- China and the United States -- have stayed relatively quiet in public.

Neither backed Rwanda's statement, though China's delegate warned of "concerns that have not been reflected in a balanced manner."

L.Rossi--NZN