In Busan, South Korea, delegates have gathered for the fifth round of negotiations to craft a legally binding global treaty to end plastic pollution. This milestone marks one thousand days since the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) adopted the resolution to initiate these critical discussions. While some international agreements have taken decades to materialize, the urgency of plastic pollution demands rapid action.
Plastics, notorious for their persistence, can take up to a thousand years to decompose, breaking down into microplastics that infiltrate ecosystems, harm biodiversity, and likely endanger human health. Plastic pollution blocks drainage systems in cities, damages ecosystems, hinders climate adaptation, and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions through unchecked production.
This growing crisis has intensified public and political demand for solutions. Waste pickers, civil society groups, Indigenous communities, scientists, businesses, and even children are amplifying their calls for decisive action. Recently, the G20 affirmed its determination to finalize the treaty by year-end. Myles Kariuki, a young boy from Kenya, captured the stakes poignantly in a letter to UNEP: “Fish are eating plastic. Our parents won’t have money to pay our school fees. Please help us.”
A Defining Week in Busan
Negotiators face the challenge of drafting a treaty that lays the foundation for a future free from plastic pollution. While not all provisions can be finalized at this stage, the broad framework must be established this week. UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen identified three key areas requiring resolution:
Provisions with Established Precedents
These include compliance mechanisms, national plans, monitoring, reporting, education, and the establishment of a governing body (Conference of the Parties). These well-understood elements should be finalized swiftly to focus on more contentious issues.
Provisions Requiring Deepened Discussions
Key obligations such as product design, emissions control, waste management, addressing legacy pollution, capacity building, and technology transfer fall under this category. Negotiators are urged to find common ground to advance these critical aspects.
Contentious Provisions Needing Urgent Attention
Three unresolved issues dominate the agenda:
Plastics and Harmful Chemicals: Delegates must agree on banning certain harmful chemicals, establishing mechanisms for identifying new threats, and phasing out single-use or short-lived plastics.
Sustainable Production and Consumption: A lifecycle approach, inspired by SDG 12, must guide national plans to align with sustainable practices.
Financing: The treaty must outline a financial mechanism, possibly a dedicated multilateral fund, to support its implementation.
Beyond Negotiations
As talks progress, the UNEA resolution mandates UNEP’s Executive Director to organize a diplomatic conference for adopting the treaty and opening it for signature. Andersen urged nations vying to host this event to reach a consensus swiftly.
The stakes are monumental. Plastic pollution is visible in every corner of the planet, from green spaces to waterways, streets to seashores. It infiltrates food chains, bloodstreams, and even unborn children. Waste pickers often work in unsafe conditions, a stark reminder of the social inequities tied to plastic waste.
The world is demanding change. Delegates in Busan have the opportunity to deliver a treaty that could shape a cleaner, safer future—one free from the scourge of plastic pollution. With determination, cooperation, and a focus on the bigger picture, the negotiators must seize this moment to create an instrument that protects the planet for generations to come.