December 21, 2024 – Global Plastic Pollution Crisis: Progress and Challenges in Crafting an International Treaty
The issue of plastic pollution has emerged as a pressing environmental dilemma, posing significant threats to marine ecosystems and human health worldwide. In response to this global challenge, the international community, with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) at its forefront, has mobilized extensively. However, the journey towards establishing a comprehensive global plastic pollution treaty remains fraught with obstacles and contentions.
In recent years, a heightened public awareness of environmental issues has brought the perils of plastic pollution, particularly its impact on marine life and public health, into sharp focus. Governments across the globe have started to acknowledge the severity of the problem, prompting a series of regional initiatives. The European Union’s directive on single-use plastics and marine litter stands as a testament to the need for collaborative global efforts. UNEP has played a pivotal role in this context, releasing multiple reports on marine plastic waste and convening stakeholders to brainstorm solutions.
As the apex decision-making body on United Nations environmental matters, UNEA has provided a crucial platform for addressing marine plastic pollution. In 2022, Rwanda and Peru proposed the idea of developing a global plastic pollution convention at the fifth session of UNEA, garnering support from over 175 countries. This convention aims to tackle the entire lifecycle of plastics, from production and design to disposal and management, through internationally legally binding obligations. UNEA’s resolution mandated formal negotiations under the UNEP framework, with the goal of adopting this legally binding treaty by the end of 2024. Consequently, a special working group was established that year, laying the groundwork for the preparation of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC). Since its inception, the INC has held five meetings, with the most recent one concluding in Busan, South Korea, in December 2024.
Despite making some headway in negotiations, the INC faces numerous hurdles, as reported by Color Masterbatch Industry News. Similar to the decision-making procedures of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity, the INC has hit a roadblock in agreeing on procedural rules, leading to a stalemate. Although the draft proposes decision-making by consensus whenever possible, with a two-thirds majority vote as a fallback, the INC continues to adhere to the consensus principle due to the unresolved rules. At the fifth INC meeting, participants engaged in intense discussions on core issues such as reducing plastic production and regulating harmful chemicals in products, but failed to reach a substantive resolution on adopting the plastic pollution convention. The meeting was therefore temporarily adjourned, with a resumption expected in the latter half of 2025.
In the face of the intricate landscape of global plastic pollution governance, the international community must redouble its efforts to seek consensus, overcome differences, and propel the formulation process of the global plastic pollution treaty forward.