Experts warn that the world will not be able to handle the amount of plastic garbage in ten years

Ahead of crucial negotiations on reducing global plastic pollution, the co-chair of a coalition of important nations has warned that unless nations agree to production cuts, the world will be “unable to cope” with the sheer amount of plastic waste in ten years.

In her remarks before the final round of UN negotiations on the first global treaty to eradicate plastic waste in Busan, South Korea, Norway's minister of international development, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, acknowledged the growing divide between nations producing plastic and those not.

Plastics Crisis: Demanding Urgent Action

Anne Beathe Tvinnereim speaks for over 60 “high ambition” countries, like Rwanda and Norway, who seek to address plastic waste across its whole life cycle. Importantly, this entails severely limiting output.

She believed an agreement could be struck that could be strengthened over time, even if the amount of resistance, mostly from oil-producing nations, may make a “perfect treaty” impossible.

Moreover, the discovery of microplastics in different body parts points to a pervasive plastics catastrophe that presents serious implications for biodiversity, human health, and the climate.

A historic agreement by 175 countries two years ago has been stalled due to a disagreement, in April's last talks, over the $712bn plastics industry, causing progress on a global treaty to address plastics' entire life cycle to remain divided, with a deadline looming.

The critical final round of talks, starting on Monday, November 25, and ending on December 1st, is set to commence.

By 2060, global plastic use will likely triple with the largest increases in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Plastic waste is also predicted to triple, with half ending in landfills.

UK's High-Ambition Coalition

The UK is part of a high-ambition coalition advocating for binding obligations on reducing plastic production and consumption, sustainable product design, environmentally sound waste management, and pollution cleanup.

Besides, the Environment Department (Defra) has held a roundtable of businesses, signing a statement supporting a treaty aiming for sustainable production, consumption, and equal playing field for chemicals.

The treaty is undergoing debate on the inclusion of a list of chemicals in plastics, the phase-out of Styrofoam cups, and the financing for developing nations lacking the necessary resources to handle waste.

Further, Greenpeace UK project leader Laura Burley suggests talks could be a turning point in the fight against plastic pollution, calling for governments to support global rules to cut plastic production, prioritizing health, communities, climate, and the planet.

The Divergent Paths in Global Negotiation

Negotiations reveal divergent views, with Saudi Arabia, Russia, Qatar, and Iran, known as the “like-minded” group, avoiding production cuts and prioritizing waste management while developing nations demand global cuts.

Additionally, The US's support for a plastic production curbs treaty, despite its position as a major plastic producer, has heightened uncertainty in the talks, as the upcoming return of fossil fuel advocate Donald Trump has further fueled doubts.

The US is welcome to join the coalition, as it offers China and other high-ambition countries a chance to demonstrate leadership and create an effective instrument, as seen in other countries and domestically.

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