Global plastic production has reached 400 million tons annually, with only 10% being recycled. At the UN Plastic Summit in Busan, representatives from 193 nations are negotiating a legally binding agreement to combat plastic pollution. Challenges include deep divisions on treaty revisions and the urgency of rising production, projected to hit 700 million tons by 2040. Key issues include single-use plastics, chemical additives, and differing national priorities, complicating efforts to establish effective regulations and commitments.
Global Plastic Production: A Growing Concern
Every year, the world generates a staggering 400 million tons of plastic, yet only about 10% of this material is effectively recycled. In an effort to combat this environmental crisis, United Nations member states have convened in South Korea for an important summit aimed at addressing plastic pollution.
UN Plastic Summit: A Critical Opportunity
The UN Plastic Summit in Busan marks a pivotal moment in the fight against plastic waste. Over the next week, representatives from 193 nations will engage in discussions for the fifth and final round of negotiations. The ultimate goal is to forge a legally binding agreement that could significantly reduce plastic pollution globally. Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, has emphasized that this is a unique chance to take decisive action against plastic waste.
However, achieving consensus appears challenging. The current draft of the treaty is riddled with over 3,000 areas requiring revision, indicating deep divisions among the negotiating parties. Alexandra Caterbow from the NGO alliance Exit Plastic notes the complexity of the discussions, pointing out that entire paragraphs may take a day to negotiate, let alone the entire text still being under debate.
As the urgency of the plastic problem escalates, experts warn that global plastic production could skyrocket to 700 million tons by 2040, unless significant changes are implemented. Henning Wilts from the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, and Energy stresses that while improving recycling is essential, tackling single-use plastics is equally critical.
In an effort to mitigate this issue, the EU has pledged to ban specific single-use plastic packaging by 2030, aligning with the objectives of the High-Ambition Coalition, which advocates for a comprehensive agreement aimed at reducing new plastic production.
Contrastingly, some nations, particularly those with substantial oil and gas production, oppose stringent measures on plastic production. They argue that the focus should be on preventing plastic waste from entering the environment through improved waste management and recycling systems.
Another contentious point lies in the regulation of chemical additives used in plastic manufacturing. With approximately 16,000 different additives in use, one-third are deemed hazardous, and many remain untested for their potential harm to humans and ecosystems. This complexity complicates the recycling process and hinders efforts to raise recycling rates, as noted by marine biologist Melanie Bergmann.
As the summit unfolds, a compromise proposal has been introduced to facilitate discussions. However, this alternative lacks strong commitments, omitting critical aspects such as caps on plastic production and comprehensive bans on toxic chemicals. The absence of clear targets for measuring progress is also a significant drawback in the proposed framework.