It has been one thousand days since the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) first brought forth a resolution to begin negotiations on the global instrument-while the world’s elites assemble in Busan to finalize the treaty, one cannot but notice how urgent their mission is. While previous multilateral agreements which took decades to materialize are finally taking shape at such a fast speed, it reflects the rising public and political demand to address the plastic crisis.
Plastic now is a serious and growing threat to the environment, ecosystems, and human health. Some plastics decompose only in a thousand years, degrading into microplastics that remain persistent in the environment, causing pollution in lands, air, and waters. The particles have destroyed biodiversity, caused reductions in resistance in ecosystems, and aggravated urban problems through blocked drainage systems. Increased plastic production significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and worsens climate change.
This has united various voices from the scientists and business leaders to waste pickers and Indigenous Peoples around the world who demand urgent and decisive action. Even children are making themselves heard. At UNEP headquarters in Kenya, thousands of letters have emphasized to the UN body that plastic pollution is a major issue affecting their communities. One letter, by a young boy named Myles Kariuki, poignantly describes how plastic waste has reduced fish catches in his region, threatening livelihoods and the ability to pay for basic necessities like school fees. Such stories drive home the human cost of inaction.
Here, at Busan, the stakes are high. Negotiators need to conclude on a framework of norms that could end plastic pollution and bring forth a sustainable future. And as the shape of the treaty begins to take form, three critical issues remain in contention: plastic products and chemicals; sustainable production and consumption; and funding.
Tackling Toxic Plastics and Single-Use Items
Regulation of harmful chemicals in plastics remains one of the most contentious issues. Some are already listed and regulated within global frameworks, but others continue to be unlisted, as their risks to human and environmental health may not have been realized yet. The consensus remains that some types of plastics, especially single-use or those that have a shorter life cycle, must either be phased out or replaced by alternatives. The challenge is how countries with varying capacities and needs will achieve a universally set standard.
Sustainable Production and Consumption of Plastics
The UNEA resolution proposes a lifecycle approach to plastic production, drawing inspiration from Sustainable Development Goal 12, which stresses a shift toward sustainable production and consumption. This approach addresses the reduction of plastic waste at source by promoting better design, efficient manufacturing, and responsible use. Tools proposed to ensure compliance with these principles include national plans and regular reporting, granting nations the flexibility to meet shared goals alongside the realities that are presented locally.
Financing the Fight Against Plastic Pollution
Any effective treaty also relies fundamentally on adequate funding. The UNEA resolution has already spoken to the creation of a financial mechanism, possibly a specific multilateral fund dedicated to this objective. This is particularly important for developing nations, which quite often suffer from plastic pollution while having fewer resources to meet the challenge. It is now up to the negotiators to prescribe how this fund will be used, fairly distributed, and allocated in an efficient manner.
Although many questions remain unanswered, other areas have made important strides. Provisions on implementation and compliance, national reporting, education, and research are modeled after other environmental treaties. A COP and associated subsidiary bodies will supervise and encourage long-term cooperation.
A Call to Unity and Action
They have been urging negotiators to work in good faith: ambitious yet pragmatic. They urge early agreements on non-contentious issues so that energy may be focused on the resolution of critical disputes. Importantly, they have warned against sacrificing the effectiveness of the treaty with expediency.
Beyond the negotiations, comes the road ahead: there will be arranging a diplomatic conference to adopt the treaty and open it for signature. This milestone will mark more years of active efforts before globalization can start rolling.
This treaty calls for urgency. Plastic pollution has become an existential affliction common to all; a plague that spreads through green spaces, waterways, and even human bodies, where microplastics are found in bloodstreams and organs. Waste pickers, whose livelihood depends on plastic, work in hazardous conditions and deserve dignified employment in the framework of a circular economy.
The world listens with hope as the week-long negotiations unfold. The treaty offers a historic chance to collectively chart a future free of plastic pollution. Success will prove this to be one of humanity’s best moments to unite against a common enemy, ensuring generations live on a cleaner and safer planet.