Geneva meet: Talks on Global Plastics Treaty resume today
Countries will push to address plastic pollution right from the production stage, which uses polluting oil and gas, to the challenges of plastic waste disposal and recycling.
Negotiators will pick up from the previous meeting in Busan, South Korea, last December, where talks had collapsed over critical and unresolved issues. These issues and disagreements were over the draft treaty's provisions on putting a cap on production of polymers, elimination of harmful chemicals from plastic production and phasing out of harmful plastic products.
As per the Centre for International Environmental Law, a US-based non-profit, the current draft text issued during Busan contains 370 brackets, which indicate areas of no agreement between countries.
It was in 2022 in Nairobi that a resolution was adopted at the United Nations Environment Assembly to develop global rules to end plastic pollution. If successfully adopted, the treaty would be the most consequential one on environmental issues since the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
The exponential growth in plastic production is one of the key drivers of plastic pollution. Globally, annual production has doubled, soaring from 234 million tonnes in 2000 to 460 million tonnes in 2019, while plastic waste has more than doubled from 156 Mt in 2000 to 353 Mt in 2019, as per a report of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Production is likely to triple in a business-as-usual scenario by 2060, as per the UN EP.
The talks on the global treaty will resume in the backdrop of a new Lancet report which said that 'plastics cause disease and death from infancy to old age and are responsible for health-related economic losses exceeding $1.5 trillion annually'.
Civil society and environmental campaigners have termed the negotiations a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to end plastic pollution and have called on countries to ensure significant cuts in plastic production.
An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change.
Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
12 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Maharashtra: Unfilled minority quota seats not to be included in CAP for FYJC admissions
In a reversal of the previous decision, minority-run junior colleges will be able to admit students under the minority quota till the last day of admissions, announced the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education in Maharashtra through a notification dated August 4. In the previous notification dated July 30, the directorate had announced that remaining seats in the in-house and minority quotas in junior colleges will be allowed to be filled only till August 2. If the seats in this quota remain vacant even after that date, the seats will be included in the Central Admission Process. Similarly, the last date for colleges to fill up seats in the management quota is August 9. Now, according to the amended notification by Director of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Dr Mahesh Palkar, admissions under minority quota can be made by the school management till the last date of admission. This means that vacancies under minority quota will not be included in the CAP round and the school management will be allowed to fill minority quota seats in minority-managed schools till the end. Palkar told The Indian Express, 'One of the colleges went to court against the previous notification, the hearing of which was held on Tuesday and hence, the decision has been reversed.' The notice regarding the reversal of the decision was shared late night on August 5. The rules for in-house quota and management quota remain the same, and those seats will not be available for colleges to fill after the above mentioned dates. This decision is among a string of decisions that the state School and Sports Education Department has had to reverse in the last few months. In relation to minority institutes, on May 6, the state government had introduced caste-based reservations in minority institutes for Class 11 admissions from this year onwards. On June 12, the Bombay High Court granted an interim stay on the clause of the GR and admissions went ahead without the reservations.
Hans India
15 minutes ago
- Hans India
Vedanta continues winning street confidence: Brokerages forecast strong earnings ahead
New Delhi: Major global and Indian brokerages remain optimistic on Vedanta Ltd's performance for FY26, citing stronger LME pricing trends, cost discipline, deleveraging, and a resilient aluminium business among the key growth drivers. These firms have also taken note of the several growth projects scheduled for commissioning or completion in the next few quarters. JP Morgan noted that Vedanta's first quarter consolidated EBITDA was largely in line with estimates, with key segments such as aluminium, oil and gas, and power faring better than its expectations, leading to an overall segmental EBITDA beat. On the earnings trajectory for the current and next fiscal, the firm expects various ongoing initiatives at Vedanta to aid growth. "Vedanta's capacity expansion journey in the aluminium business as well as vertical integration should bring cost advantages. LME prices have also bottomed out and should continue to move higher into FY26-27, likely aiding earnings growth." Echoing similar views on LME prices and its potential benefit, Citi Research cited that Vedanta's parent (Vedanta Resources) leverage is at comfortable levels. It listed potential upside in medium-term aluminium LME prices, lower cost, and the demerger as another positive for Vedanta, while adding that aluminium globally has a limited supply growth. Mumbai-based Nuvama Institutional Equities expects Vedanta to deliver quarter-on-quarter EBITDA growth in Q2. "Q2FY26 EBITDA is likely to increase 10 per cent-plus quarter-on-quarter on the back of higher prices and lower aluminium cost of production. Major aluminium projects are likely to be commissioned in Q2FY26. We reckon net debt/EBITDA ex-Hindustan Zinc shall fall to 1.7x by FY26-end, compared to 2.7x in FY25. Demerger of the business is likely to be concluded in Q4FY26," the firm said in its report. The brokerage expects Vedanta's all major projects except coal blocks to be likely commissioned in the current fiscal, providing volume growth and cost reduction visibility for the company. UK-based Investec stated in its post-earnings report that Vedanta is a key beneficiary of depreciation in the Indian Rupee. Other near-term positives listed by the firm include declining alumina prices and the company offering attractive yields. The firm has retained its buy recommendation on Vedanta. Research firms like Kotak Institutional Equities and IIFL have cited factors like cost efficiencies and deleveraging at both Vedanta Ltd and its parent Vedanta Resources as beneficial factors. Vedanta's adjusted profit after tax jumped 13 per cent year-on-year to Rs 5,000 crore. The company clocked its highest-ever first-quarter EBITDA of Rs 10,746 crore, which was up 5 per cent year-on-year.
Indian Express
15 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Now, Aadhaar mandatory to avail benefits of Delhi govt schemes
Now, having an Aadhar card is mandatory to avail the benefits of the schemes of the Delhi government. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has approved the BJP government's proposal to make the document mandatory for the issuance of income certificates in the Capital. The income certificate is a key document for availing financial benefits under a range of government schemes in the Capital. 'The move aims at eliminating any irregularity or malpractice in issuing income certificates to the applicants and thereby ensuring that only genuine beneficiaries registered under a scheme or financial assistance get the benefit,' a statement by the Raj Niwas underlined. The proposal, endorsed by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, seeks to bring the service of issuing income certificates under Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016. This provision allows the state or Central government to make Aadhaar-based authentication compulsory for identifying individuals receiving subsidies, services, or benefits funded through the Consolidated Fund of India of the state. The income certificate issued by the Revenue department is used to determine eligibility for several welfare schemes, including tuition fee reimbursement for students from SC, ST, and OBC communities; pensions; and health-related financial assistance under the Delhi Arogya Kosh. Using Aadhaar would help simplify service delivery, improve transparency, and ensure that benefits reach only eligible individuals, officials in the Revenue Department said. It would also eliminate the need to submit multiple documents to establish identity. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on November 25, 2019, had authorised state governments to mandate Aadhaar authentication for schemes funded from the Consolidated Fund of the State. As per the notification, individuals not possessing an Aadhaar number currently but seeking benefits under the mentioned schemes will now be required to enrol for Aadhaar. In the case of minors, Aadhaar Enrolment ID or Biometric Update ID, along with a birth certificate or school ID bearing the parent's name and signed by the school principal, will be accepted. Adults without Aadhaar can furnish the enrolment slip along with a government-issued document such as a bank passbook, PAN card, passport, Kisan passbook, or driving licence. Saxena has asked the Revenue department to undertake a public awareness campaign to inform citizens about the Aadhaar requirement, so that genuine beneficiaries are not denied their entitlements.
