More than 100 countries have withdrawn from the plastic agreement as negotiations reach a dead end By Reuters

By Joyce Lee and Valerie Volcovici

BUSAN, South Korea (Reuters) – Negotiators seeking a global deal to combat plastic pollution are set for a fierce debate on the final day of scheduled talks, with more than 100 countries backing a deal that would end plastic production against a minority of people. The oil producing countries that want it are focused on waste.

The fifth and final meeting of the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) to provide a legally binding international agreement should end in Busan on Sunday, but as of Sunday morning, the final session of the proceedings has not been established.

The agreement expected to emerge from the talks could be the most important agreement on environmental protection and climate change since the Paris Agreement of 2015.

As of Sunday, the countries are far from the progress of the agreement, with one of the measures proposed by Panama – and with the support of more than 100 countries – which creates a way to reduce the global risk of reducing the production of plastic and another that does not allow for production indicators. everything.

Some negotiators said elite countries had still rejected their demands as of Saturday night.

“We have 100-plus countries that are very ambitious. On the other hand we have a small group of countries that … are basically running from time to time without progress,” said Anthony Agotha, the EU’s special representative for climate and climate change. Nature.

“We have to deal with the whole life of plastics because we can’t recycle our way out of this problem… We can’t run on one leg,” he said.

A few petrochemical producing countries such as Saudi Arabia have strongly opposed efforts to produce plastic and have tried to use de-escalation measures.

Saudi Arabia had no immediate comment.

China, the United States, India, South Korea and Saudi Arabia were the top five polymer producing countries in 2023, according to data provider Eunomia.

THE HOURS ARE OVER

With only a few hours left to negotiate and an agreement that seems impossible, negotiators and observers fear that the talks could end or move to another stage.

“We are at a crossroads right now,” said the head of the delegation to Panama Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez on Saturday.

“To postpone this to another meeting would be a fatal wound not only to the health of the planet, but also to the health of humanity … we must come out with results that raise the battle.”

Plastic production is on track to triple by 2050, with microplastics found in air, fresh produce and even breast milk.

Environmental protection groups monitoring the talks criticized a document released by Committee Chairman Luis Vayas Valdivieso on Friday that could form the basis of an agreement, on issues such as insufficient implementation of drugs of concern or public health.

Concerns in plastics include more than 3,200 found according to the UN Environment Program’s 2023 report, which said that women and children are most affected by their toxins.

“We believe that the Chairman, with so much enthusiasm can lead us to INC-5,” said Agotha.