Int'l Talks Fail to Agree on Plastic Pollution Treaty

Busan, Dec. 2 (Jiji Press)--Governments across the world decided in the small hours of Monday to postpone a conclusion on a proposed treaty to prevent pollution by plastics.

They failed to reach an accord before the latest negotiations in Busan, South Korea, came to a close Sunday, due to wide gaps in opinions among countries over regulations on plastic production. It is uncertain when they will resume talks.

At a plenary meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution Sunday, Luis Vayas Valdivieso, chair of the committee, said that negotiations made great progress in Busan but that the work to draw up the treaty is far from complete. In 2022, the U.N. Environment Assembly decided to complete the work by 2024.

The European Union and island nations vulnerable to marine plastic pollution demanded a reduction in the total amount of plastic production under a uniform global target. Meanwhile, oil-producing countries opposed the inclusion of restrictions in the treaty.

The committee decided to continue negotiations and position a new draft presented by the chair on Sunday as the starting point for the next meeting.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]