The world's nations have failed to deliver a promised agreement on a global treaty on plastic pollution after deadlocking on the question of production caps on virgin plastic from oil and gas. A weeklong meeting in Busan ended without a formal treaty, reportedly due to disagreement between petroleum-producing nations (Russia, the United States and Saudi Arabia among them) and nations negatively impacted by plastic pollution (Panama, Rwanda, Nicaragua and about 120 others). A conservation-oriented draft text called for a "global target to reduce the production of primary plastic polymers to sustainable levels," but did not win approval.
As talks came to a close, a group of Greenpeace activists boarded a tanker scheduled to load the commonplace plastic monomer propylene at a refinery in Busan, a symbolic act aimed to draw attention to the proximity of plastics production and to the number of industry lobbyists who were present at the talks. The activists used RHIBs to board the tanker Buena Alba, then climbed the foremast and set up for an extended stay.
"We are taking direct action here today – stopping this plastic shipment – to urge world leaders to listen to the voices of the millions of people around the world, along with scientists and businesses – who are demanding they cut plastic production to stop plastic pollution," said Alex Wilson, Greenpeace UK climb team volunteer.
After about 12 hours, the activists were detained by South Korean police. Greenpeace has called for their prompt release.
The plastics industry is commercially valuable to petroleum-rich nations, and some developing states see it as an essential ingredient for their economies. The United States - the world's leading producer of plastic waste and a prominent producer of raw plastic material - opposes hard caps on plastic production.
About eight million tonnes of plastic ends up in the ocean every year, and the pace is accelerating rapidly. Most of the waste enters the sea through river drainages, which flush plastic litter out of vast inland basins, like the Mississippi River, the Mekong, the Nile and the Ganges. Once in the ocean, most plastic does not dissolve away on human timescales, but it weathers and degrades into smaller and smaller pieces. These bits of microplastic and nanoplastic enter the food chain, including commercially-valuable fish species, and the full health effects on wildlife and people are unknown.
Last week, representatives of more than 170 UN member states gathered in South Korea for a series of talks on cutting plastic pollution. They had previously resolved to produce a treaty by 2024, and almost all acknowledged the seriousness of the pollution problem. A series of staff-level engagements leading up to the summit in Korea produced hints of a possible deal, but in the end, conservation-minded nations refused to accept an agreement that did not control the output of virgin plastic producers.
The International Council of Chemistry Associations, which represents the world's plastic producers, advocated against limiting plastic production and asked member states to turn their attention towards managing waste.
"Government-imposed plastic production caps may have unintended consequences, from higher costs to regrettable substitutions. A focus on preventing pollution is essential to prevent pollution without hindering progress," ICCA said in a statement after the end of the talks.
