Negotiations to ratify a legally binding pact to curb plastic pollution failed in Busan after the chair of the talks said that critical and unresolved issues, which needed additional time for consensus, prevented an agreement. After a second revised treaty text did not elicit consensus, the chair, Ecuadorian diplomat Luis Vayas Valdivieso, announced during the final plenary that it needs more time and talks will resume based on the same treaty. “While it is encouraging that portions of text have been agreed upon, few critical issues prevent us from reaching a com agreement. These unresolved issues remain challenging and additional time will be needed to address them effectively,” he said. Over 170 nations were in Busan, South Korea, at the fifth and final meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) of the United Nations to finalise the most important environmental treaty since the 2015 Paris agreement. A resolution was adopted, in 2022 in Nairobi, at the United Nations Environment Assembly to develop global rules for curbing plastic pollution and do so by the end of 2024. The chair’s second draft continued to see major divisions continue over the three most crucial issues — putting a global cap on polymer production, eliminating harmful chemicals from plastic production and phasing out harmful plastic products. Sharp divisions between oil rich Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, Kuwait — and high ambition countries led by Rwanda, Panama and Mexico persisted till the last plenary. To add to this, India and China, two of the biggest plastic producers, did not support the production caps. A senior source from the Indian delegation told The Indian Express the impact of production caps and regulation on producing countries was not fully known. “Polymers are used in thousands of products. Our economy is growing and not each product causes pollution,” the official said. Naresh Pal Gangwar, India’s lead negotiator, said at the plenary that India has banned certain products. However, plastic played an important role in the development of our societies in various sectors of the economy, he said.
