India pushes fairness as new global plastic pollution treaty is negotiated.
In Busan, South Korea, where India stated that the treaty needs to reflect the national circumstances of each country, promote the right to development, and reflect differentiated responsibilities based on the capacities of the countries, is the third and final round of negotiations for a legally binding international agreement on plastic pollution. This historic accord initiated by the United Nations Environment Assembly would be a penultimate step toward solving the global crisis of plastic pollution and is hoped to finalize a treaty by 2024.
Background of Plastics Pollution Negotiations
In 2022, UNEA passed a landmark resolution to join in addressing plastic pollution, though what begins the global effort, an activity to curb the environmentally burgeoning problem.
This has resulted in the INC that will deal with a legally binding treaty on plastic pollution. To this effect, since its inception, the INC has held meetings in Uruguay, France, Canada, and Kenya. The session that is new will be hosted at Busan from 25th November to 1st December where the assembly will deliberate on the international pact and adopt accordingly.
India takes the lead for this negotiation and communicates sharply that the new treaty, therefore, should contain the concept of “Common But Differentiated Responsibilities” (CBDR). The principle means that all nations share some common but differential responsibilities vis-à-vis global environmental issues while also accepting and acknowledging that their activities or responsibilities are different according to distinct developmental situations and capability.
Key Proposals and Concerns of India:
India had clearly stated that the new treaty should not be a repeat or contradictory to the already existing international treaties, like the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions-all these relate to hazardous chemicals and waste management for safety. The opinion of India was that this new plastic pollution treaty applied only to the aspect of waste management in plastics falling outside the purview of those other frameworks.
India has made it pretty much known at the negotiating table that the treaty should include the national flexibility requirements; besides, it thinks that every nation is to be put in a particular status with diversified developmental standards and technological capabilities so that no nation may feel burdened unduly by any such treaty. It should, therefore, maintain firm its stance that this is crucial that, along with nations, the environment should also be safeguarded when they undertake the process of development.
One of the major contributions India has made to the negotiations is its proposal for having a dedicated multilateral fund to help developing countries deal with plastic pollution. Modeled after the successful multilateral fund under the Montreal Protocol, an international treaty aimed at reducing ozone-depleting substances, the proposed fund would provide financial and technical support to countries struggling to meet the targets and rules set by the new treaty. India requested the developed countries to provide much-needed financial support and modern technological resources to help third-world countries manage plastic waste efficiently. India argued that such support would make all nations contribute toward this global effort of reducing plastic pollution, regardless of the economic status of the country or its capability in modern technology.
Reduce Plastic Pollution
Big Problem that faced this world of today was plastic waste penetration of the landfill and the oceans and waters, penetrating into the ecosystem, and even human life. Plastic thus posed great threats in all respects. This global approach was thus already on under the United Nations, where a major step forward to bring aboard the governments and industries as well as the civil society towards the success of this cause.
This should set in motion an international contract stipulated throughout the life cycle that contracts plastics starting from when they are made to the final process which places them in the waste dump. Its tactics included minimizing plastic tinning, enhanced wastes and promoting the recycling or reusing of the plastics.
It also consisted of the mechanism for reducing ocean plastic wastes, because plastics being discarded into the oceans year in, and year out crossed into millions of tons every year killing quantities of ocean living animals.
India in Global Dialogue
India’s push at the negotiating table for a differentiated approach reflects that the country needs to take the lead in pushing for a more balanced response to global challenges. As one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and one of the major plastic waste producers, India has unique challenges posed by plastic pollution. But it also addresses domestic solutions specific to its own interests- banning single-use plastics, increasing recycling rates, and promoting alternatives-which are unique. However, at all costs, India has ensured that the new global treaty does not compromise its developmental aspirations. By advocating a multilateral funding mechanism, India is attempting to achieve international cooperation through ambitious targets set by the agreement without unduly loading financial pockets of its economy.
The Future Way: At a time when negotiations at Busan were approaching the finish line, international interest still remained at finalizing an agreement concerning environmental and developmental interplay. Proposals for India in terms of financial support to the developing world and with consideration of national circumstance also have landed at the center of all considerations and can become instrumental toward taking a final shape to that treaty. All such negotiation impacts will resonate and become the way of treatment the world gives to plastics once more. The final outcome in this treaty will therefore be a new era entering one where plastic waste matters to all countries in actions: reduction of plastic, good waste management, and savings for future generations.
Source: UN Environment Assembly, Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee