Dissensions between countries were right for this initiative aimed at protecting the environment. Greenpeace accuses “the petrochemical industry” of being maneuver.
New failure for the planet. Translections to draw up the first international treaty against plastic pollution flew into Geneva on Wednesday at thirty hours from the planned end of negotiations, most countries that have rejected an awkward attempt at the presidency. After almost three years of negotiations and nine days of intense discussions by Lake Geneva, the diplomat who presides over the debates, Luis Vayas Valdivieso, presented a summary text and a fairly complex consultation procedure to try to overcome the still very distant positions.
But instead of making it possible to move forward, the text of 31 articles caused anger or at least the dissatisfaction of the majority of the delegates present in the room which do not accept it as a base of negotiation. Colombia, which wants an ambitious text to combat plastic pollution, judged the document “unacceptable” And asked for a new text. Chile, Mexico, Panama, Canada and the European Union, including France, have followed suit in the South American country, as well as the small Pacific islands.
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“Imbalance”
For the representative of Chile, this text is “Clearly unbalanced”car “Everything is relegated to the national level and the text does not create any space for international cooperation to combat plastic pollution”. The text “Do not make the minimum necessary to meet the urgency of the challenge we face”noted the Minister of the Environment of Denmark Magnus Heunicke whose country provides the rotating presidency of the EU.
“In 2022, we promised citizens of the world a treaty to remove plastic pollution and reduce the use of chemicals in plastic that threaten the environment and health. The proposed text is not what we proposed three years ago ”he said, stressing that a compromise “Request movements of all parties”. “This text speaks of closing an injury … But the text presented here makes this injury fatal and we will not accept it”said the Panamanian negotiator, adding: “It’s not ambition, it’s surrender.”
Kenya denounced the absence of binding global obligations on anything, meaning that “Has no demonstrable value”. Environmental protection NGOs have also shot red balls on the text, denouncing the absence of reference to any constraint on industrial production of virgin plastic. It’s a “Gift to the petrochemical industry and a betrayal of humanity”judged Graham Forbes, head of the Greenpeace delegation.
Even oil tankers
Even the oil countries that opposed all requests for regulating plastic production and the prohibitions of certain chemical molecules dangerous for the environment and health, said that they did not like the text. Their criticisms (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar ..) focus on the absence of «cadre» and fields of action.
China, which is also the world’s leading producer of plastic, called on the president to “focus” on the most important problems in the last hours of negotiation “Rather than increasing differences”. “You need a text rebalancing” Judged the French Minister for the Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier Runacher. “From my point of view, it is possible to write a text of ten pages which takes into account all the main points of the file”. The most difficult “It’s to have it adopted”.
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The International Council of Chemistry (ICCA) did not issue any opinion on the text but he warned the states against a temptation to rejection by the end of the talks: “If the desire to have a perfect agreement has the consequence of leaving Geneva without agreement, the world will have lost the best opportunity it has ever had to face plastic pollution on a global scale”indicates a brief press release sent to AFP.
