Governments are holding “critical” talks this week on a global deal to curb plastic pollution, as some countries and activists warn that key issues – including measures to clamp down on rising plastic production – are being sidelined.
Politicians are meeting in person in Nairobi for the first time since talks were suspended in chaos a year ago, affected by a long-running tussle with competing nations over access to the UN accord.
Because almost all plastics are made from planet-warming oil, gas and coal, the industry’s footprint will have a major impact on global efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The four-day informal gathering, which begins on Tuesday, has been billed by the chairman of the talks, Chilean ambassador Julio Cordano, as a “brainstorming” session where countries are invited to put forward possible solutions to some of the most divisive aspects of the treaty negotiations.
Cordano is expected to break down those ideas in a new document that aims to serve as the basis for a new draft text of the future agreement, which the governments will take in the next official round of negotiations, scheduled for March 13-24, 2027.
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Governments are holding “critical” talks this week on a global deal to curb plastic pollution, as some countries and activists warn that key issues – including measures to clamp down on rising plastic production – are being sidelined.
Politicians are meeting in person in Nairobi for the first time since talks were suspended in chaos a year ago, affected by a long-running tussle with competing nations over access to the UN accord.
Because almost all plastics are made from planet-warming oil, gas and coal, the industry’s footprint will have a major impact on global efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The four-day informal gathering, which begins on Tuesday, has been billed by the chairman of the talks, Chilean ambassador Julio Cordano, as a “brainstorming” session where countries are invited to put forward possible solutions to some of the most divisive aspects of the treaty negotiations.
Cordano is expected to break down those ideas in a new document that aims to serve as the basis for a new draft text of the future agreement, which the governments will take in the next official round of negotiations, scheduled for March 13-24, 2027.
The previous two rounds, each billed as the last, ended without a deal, marred mainly by arguments over how the deal should deal with plastic production, which the UN says will triple by 2060 without intervention.
Production edges in the virtual environment
Major fossil and petrochemical producers, led by Saudi Arabia, the United States, Russia and India, have repeatedly argued that this agreement should only focus on managing plastic waste. A US State Department spokesperson told Climate Home News that Washington supports “effective, cost-effective solutions” to plastic pollution, while opposing a “global plastic ban”.
Most countries – including many island nations in Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Pacific – want to limit plastic production to “sustainable levels”, but have never enforced any comprehensive bans.
Ahead of what he described as “critical” talks in Nairobi, the French government said last week it had shown flexibility and had “dramatically scaled back” its initial ambitions. But a French official told a meeting of EU environment ministers that without clear reference to the “unprecedented situation” of plastic production, the agreement would be “unbalanced, ineffective and, worse, could put us on the wrong path for decades to come”.
In a separate written communication, the French government complained that the informal meetings held in recent months gave “unbalanced visibility to the positions of ambitious states”, fueling “the risk that partial agreements can only be reached on issues with a broad consensus”.
Dennis Clare, negotiator for the Pacific island nation of Micronesia, told Climate Home News that “if we fail to address any of the important issues”, including overproduction, the impact of the plastic problem on the climate, human health and the environment will grow more severe.
Fear of “political figures”
Despite such concerns, the production of plastics was not mentioned in the extensive list of topics that Cordano wrote for the meeting – an omission that alarmed observers.
Christina Dixon, a campaigner at the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), said there appeared to be an attempt to delete this important aspect of the agreement as “too complex and politically unworkable”.
David Azoulay, director of the environmental health program at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), said the proposed draft convention was “very concerning”. He accused the chairman of “making political calculations in favor of a possible short-term success” and aiming to bring an agreement “based on common ground”.
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Speaking to reporters last week, Cordano pushed back, insisting that “no topic is off the table” and inviting countries to bring forward any proposals they deem necessary for a successful outcome.
He added that this agreement will not be allowed to face any level of prestige, and he will not be happy with the result in any way.
“This is what makes it harder and harder,” said Cordano, who was elected in February after his predecessor resigned. Countries are “trying to be creative” in finding solutions, he explained, because “the road to the goal of our work may not be so clear”.
