After two years of deliberations, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution, which met in the South Korean city of Busan and spent a week and more negotiating a treaty to reduce plastic pollution, had reached a standstill. There was unable to reach a consensus on the much-anticipated agreement to phase out plastic, or eliminate some of the dangerous chemicals used in its manufacture.
Luis Vaya Valdivieso, the meeting’s chair, acknowledged that there were “a few critical issues” that stood in the way of a “comprehensive agreement,” but he acknowledged that progress had been made on the matter. Discussions will go on, he said. “These unresolved issues remain challenging and will require more time to effectively address,” he said. To wrap up our negotiations, there is a broad consensus to restart the current session at a later time.
Maria Joao Teixeira, a Portuguese delegate, struck a conciliatory note when she suggested that the best approach to get a real agreement would be to hold another session. “We really want to avoid having a weak treaty,” she said with sadness. Increasing the number of meetings is not the answer to the plastic pollution problem; we already know what has to be done.
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