The question posed is: What steps can be taken globally to rescue a plastic agreement following Geneva?
In a series of international conferences, efforts to draft a legally binding agreement to tackle plastic pollution have faced significant hurdles.
Last week, a draft treaty presented in Geneva was rejected by 184 countries, primarily due to its lack of ambition. The negotiations failed mainly due to pressure from lobby groups and oil-producing countries resisting binding commitments to reduce plastic production. As a result, no consensus was reached on controlling plastic pollution.
Options for progress include forming a "coalition of the willing" by countries that support a stronger treaty and changing decision-making rules to allow voting instead of requiring unanimity, thus avoiding the current consensus blockade.
Vote-blocking by oil-producing states is seen as a stalling tactic that could drag down ambition in the plastic treaty process. This was evident at INC2 in Paris, where delegates were unable to resolve their differences on voting, and the issue was parked until a later date.
Despite these setbacks, there have been signs of progress. At the UN Environment Assembly in 2022, 175 countries signed a resolution to draft a legally binding agreement to tackle plastic pollution across its full lifecycle. Last year, over 100 countries backed ambitious provisions in the draft treaty at INC5.1 in Busan.
China, the world's largest plastic polluter, appeared to start siding more with ambitious countries in the Geneva gathering. However, the minority, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Iran, want the treaty to focus solely on waste management.
The draft treaty lacked legally binding measures to reduce plastic production and to regulate plastic chemicals and problematic plastic products. Additionally, the draft released on 13 August had no obligations to contribute to financing needed to implement the treaty.
John Chweya, head of a Kenyan wastepickers association, voiced his concerns, saying he could not accept a treaty that lacked language on a just transition for workers who are in the "deepest pits of plastic pollution". The Environmental Justice Foundation also highlighted the health impacts of "false solutions" like plastic burning for waste-to-energy projects, which will worsen without regulation.
The Centre for International Environmental Law revealed that 224 lobbyists registered for the Geneva talks, several on state delegations. This raises concerns about the influence of corporate interests in the treaty negotiations.
As the negotiations revert back to the text developed in Busan, possibly including elements from Geneva, there will be another INC (INC5.3), the date of which has not yet been set. It is hoped that with continued pressure from the ambitious camp and a shift in stance from oil-producing nations, a more ambitious and effective treaty can be achieved.
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