Negotiators on a treaty to curb plastic pollution faced tough debate on the last day of scheduled talks, as over 100 countries supported curbing production while a handful of oil-producing countries wanted to focus only on plastic waste.
The fifth and final UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting to yield a legally binding global treaty was set to wrap up in Busan, South Korea, on Sunday, but a final plenary session had not been set.
A treaty could be the most significant deal relating to environmental protection as well as climate-warming emissions since the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Countries remained far apart on Sunday morning on the basic scope of the treaty. An option proposed by Panama, backed by over 100 countries, would create a path for a global plastic production reduction target, while another proposal did not include production caps.
“If you’re not contributing constructively, and if you’re not trying to join us in having an ambitious treaty … then please get out,” Fiji’s chief negotiator, Climate Minister Sivendra Michael, told a press conference.
A smaller number of petrochemical-producing nations such as Saudi Arabia have strongly opposed efforts to target plastic production and have tried to use procedural tactics to delay negotiations.
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