Global talks have once again failed to develop a historical treaty to end plastic pollution.
The United Nations interaction, the sixth round of negotiations in less than three years, was due to ending Thursday, but the countries continued to talk at night in the hope of breaking a deadlock.
A division remained among a group of more than 100 countries, calling for curb on plastic production, and oil states insisted on focusing on recycling.
Speaking in the initial hours, Cuba representatives said the countries had “missed a historic opportunity but we have to keep going”.
Talks were convened in 2022 in response to the increasing scientific evidence of risks of plastic pollution for human health and environment.
Despite the benefits of plastic in almost every region, scientists are particularly concerned about toxic chemicals, which can exit in small pieces of plastic.
Microplastics have been detected in soil, rivers, air and even organs throughout the human body.
Countries had a basic time limit to get a deal on the line at the end of December last year, but failed to complete it.
The collapse of the latest dialogue means that they turn back and forth.
Speaking to the island states, the northern Pacific nation of Palau said on Friday: “We are returning home with insufficient progress to show our people again and again.”
“It is unjust to us that we still suffer another global environmental crisis, which we contribute minimally,” said this.
The main division line between countries remains the same: whether the treaty should deal with plastic at the source – by reducing production – or focusing on the management of pollution coming from it.
The largest oil producing nations look at plastic, which are made using fossil fuels, as an important part of their future economies, especially as the world begins to move from petrol and diesel to electric cars.
The group, which includes Saudi Arabia and Russia, argues that better waste collection and recycling infrastructure is the best way to solve the problem, a scene shared by many producers.
“Plastic is fundamental to modern life – they go into everything,” Ross Eisenberg, president of the US plastic manufacturers, said, a trade union for the plastic production industry in the United States.
“Focusing on ending plastic pollution should be priority here, not abolishing plastic production,” he said, warned that attempts to replace plastic with other materials may be “unexpected results”.
But many researchers warned that this approach is fundamentally flawed. The global recycling rates are estimated only to 10%, with the range of how far it can grow.
Associate Professor in waste and resource engineering at Imperial College London. Costas Velis said, “If we manage to promote 15, 20, 30%for the next few decades, it will remain a sufficient amount that is polluting the environment and damaging human health,” Dr. The Associate Professor in waste and resource engineering at Costas Velis, Imperial College London.
“So, we need to improve recycling … but we cannot really expect that it is going to solve all aspects of plastic,” he said.
Plastic production has already increased from two million tonnes in 1950 to about 475 million in 2022 – and it is expected to grow without additional measures.
Around 100 countries, including UK and EU blocks, were emphasizing for curbes for production and more consistent design in the treaty globally to make recycling easier.
This can be as simple as plastic bottles require a color – when dye is used, products only get half the value of clear bottles.
The approach was supported by major plastic packers including Nestle and Unilever, which is part of the trade alliance headed by Ellen McArther Foundation.
The coalition also stated that to help countries pay for recycling efforts, adding its plans to add a small levy to plastic products should better align, known as the expanded manufacturer responsibility.
Group estimates This can now double the revenue for $ 576BN (£ 425bn) for countries between 2040 now and now.
The talks were scheduled to end on Thursday, but the countries continued to talk at night in the hope of breaking a deadlock.
Louis Vauas of Ecuador made a new text, which used to align more closely with the UK group request.
The text did not call for a hat on plastic production, which UK wanted.
But it included references to nations, which take their steps to deal with dangerous plastic chemicals and other issues such as plastic designs to make it easier for them to recycle.
Speaking at the final meeting, the European Union delegation said: “We see the result of this session as a good basis for future conversations.”
However, the oil state remained deeply unhappy. Saudi Arabia said that it found the process of interacting on the “problematic”, while Kuwait said its views were “not reflected”.
But many environmental groups, reacting to the collapse, published against whatever they see as a priority of profit by oil states on the health of the planet.
Greenpeace chief Graham Forbes of the Global Plastic Treaty Dialogue delegation said: “Inability to reach an agreement in Geneva should be a wakeup call for the world: Eliminating plastic pollution means to face fossil fuel interests.
“Most governments want a strong compromise, yet a handful of bad actors were allowed to use the process to run such ambitions in the ground.”
The chair announced that the talks would resume at the later date.
