Global talks on plastic waste treaty melt down
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
UN-hosted global talks to produce a treaty on curbing plastic pollution ended Friday "without consensus on a text of the instrument" despite years of negotiations, the body said.
Why it matters: Plastic is a multi-front environmental problem even as it enables the manufacture and distribution of vital and popular goods.
- Each year, between 19 and 23 million tons of plastic waste leak into aquatic systems, per UN figures.
The big picture: The future of plastic is an energy story because oil and natural gas liquids are major inputs.
- The petrochemical industry "is set to become the dominant source of global oil demand growth from 2026 onwards," the International Energy Agency said in a June report, noting transport and power are diversifying toward other fuels.
Driving the news: "While we did not land the treaty text we hoped for, we at UNEP will continue the work against plastic pollution — pollution that is in our groundwater, in our soil, in our rivers, in our oceans and yes, in our bodies," Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, said in a statement Friday.
- Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), who has been active on plastic pollution issues, blamed "petrostates" that he said "were determined to ensure that meaningful action would not occur."
- "The failure to reach an agreement is a devastating blow for public health, as well as our children and the planet's future," Merkley said in a statement.
What we're watching: The way forward is unclear amid large differences, AP and other outlets report from the talks in Geneva.
- Nations "remain deadlocked over whether the treaty should reduce exponential growth of plastic production and put global, legally binding controls on toxic chemicals used to make plastics," AP reports.
- Via Bloomberg, most nations favored a cap on plastics production and limits on certain toxic chemicals, while a smaller group led by oil producers wanted the focus on waste collection and recycling.
- The American Chemistry Council said it seeks "a meaningful agreement that addresses plastic pollution while supporting innovation, jobs and economic growth."
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comment from the American Chemistry Council.
