Global negotiations on a landmark plastics treaty stalled Thursday in Geneva as nations clashed over whether to limit plastic production, leaving delegates scrambling to finalize a text that could curb pollution and protect human health.
Zig Diaries Environment
Date: Friday, 15 August 2025
Time: 11:40 WAT
Location: 📍 Geneva, Switzerland
The talks, involving 184 countries and over 600 organizations, could shape legally binding international measures to curb plastic pollution.
Delegates in Geneva adjourned Thursday night without finalizing a new draft of
the treaty, despite a last-minute assembly called by negotiating committee
chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso. Consultations on the revised draft were ongoing,
prompting the meeting to reconvene Friday.
Norway’s
environment minister, Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, emphasized that prolonging the
meeting allows nations to aim for a more ambitious agreement, noting that the
current text is widely regarded as insufficient. “It means that the chair still
believes that it’s possible to drive this process forward. That’s great,” he
said.
The draft
released Wednesday focuses on areas of broad consensus: reducing problematic
plastic products, promoting product redesign for recycling and reuse, and
improving waste management. It stops short of imposing global limits on plastic
production or addressing toxic chemicals in products.
French
President Emmanuel Macron criticized the draft as lacking ambition, urging
countries to adopt a treaty that meets urgent environmental and health needs.
“Every day, our health is more threatened. What are we waiting for to take
action?” he said in a LinkedIn post.
Roughly 100
countries are pushing for production limits alongside waste management
commitments, forming a coalition called the High Ambition Coalition. Oil and
gas-producing nations, together with plastics industry representatives, oppose
production caps, preferring a treaty focused solely on recycling, reuse, and
waste reduction.
Delegates
from Iraq stressed a balanced approach: while they do not support production
limits, they back restrictions on certain chemicals and short-lived plastics,
which indirectly reduces overall plastic output. The goal is to negotiate a
treaty that protects the environment while considering economic realities.
The talks
come against a backdrop of rising plastic production: over 400 million tons are
made annually, potentially increasing by 70% by 2040 without intervention.
Fact-Check
& Background Context:
Global plastic pollution poses serious environmental and public health risks,
including contamination of oceans and ecosystems.
Past UN initiatives have focused on recycling and waste management, but production limits have been contentious due to industrial and economic opposition.
The High Ambition
Coalition advocates for comprehensive international measures, emphasizing both
production reduction and chemical safety.
🏷️ Tags: Plastics Treaty, Plastic Pollution,
UN Environment, Geneva Talks, High Ambition Coalition
#ZigDiariesEnvironment #PlasticPollution #GlobalTreaty
#UNEnvironment #Geneva
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