UN plastics treaty talks near end with no deal in sight
More than a week in the United Nations in Geneva, there is still no sign of agreement on a global plastic agreement.
The expected closing session of the UN talks was postponed until Thursday evening and one night session seems more likely.
At least 180 countries agree that plastic pollution poses a major threat in the oceans, mountains, air and now in the human body.
However, they do not agree with what to do about it.
More than 100 members of the high ambition coalition, including dozens of countries in the European Union and South America, Africa and Asia, want to limit plastic production to sustainable levels.
They also want to gradually eliminate “disposable” plastic products such as cup and cutlery set and encourage a circular economy in which reusable plastic products and raw materials of a waste are recycled and reused.
Countries that produce oil such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia call themselves “similar thinking group”.
They want to focus on limiting plastic wastes instead of limiting production.
Plastic is largely made of oil products.
However, in the UN 2022, it authorized to accept an agreement covering the entire plastic life cycle from production to design and waste management.
On Wednesday, the conference president, Luis Valdivieso, presented what he calls the article of reconciliation, which was greeted with dozens of countries that said that he had removed almost all ambitious or controversial targets from the text, including Article 6, including Article 6.
No one has seen a basis for negotiation for a final text that was not satisfied with oil -producing countries.
Speaking on behalf of a similar thinking group, Saudi Arabia criticized paragraphs that propose research on plastic or responsibility alternatives for plastic producers.
Countries have already been negotiating for three years.
It will take years to implement any agreement due to the necessary approvals.
Plastic pollutes the oceans and the environment, kills fish and other creatures and endangers human health.
There are more and more particles in human organs, including the brain.
According to studies, nano and microplastic particles disrupt the immune system and support inflammation.
The German Ministry of Environment said that global plastic production increased between the 1970s and 2020 seven times and increased to 367 million tons a year and could reach approximately 600 million tons by 2050.
This said that a total of 8.3 billion tons of plastic has been produced so far, most of them are 6.3 billion tons of waste with storage areas.
According to estimates, 152 million tons of plastic waste accumulated in rivers and oceans around the world.
