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Euronews
a day ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Global plastics treaty talks stall as deadline approaches
Negotiators working on a treaty to address global plastic pollution discussed a new draft of the text on Wednesday that wouldn't limit plastic production or address chemicals used in plastic products. Talks stalled just one day before they are due to end after countries with very divergent views expressed disappointment with the draft. It could change significantly, and a new version is expected on Thursday, the last scheduled day of the negotiations. 'Unbalanced' or a 'good enough' starting point? When they convened on Wednesday night, Colombia's delegation said that the text was entirely unacceptable because it was unbalanced and lacked the ambition and global obligations needed to end plastic pollution. The delegation said that it wouldn't accept the wording as the basis for negotiations. The head of Panama's delegation to the talks, Juan Carlos Monterrey Gómez, stood up and cheered. Many delegations made statements to agree, including Mexico, Chile, Ghana, Canada, Norway, the United Kingdom, the European Union and the group of small island developing states. "We have made clear that the text on the table is not acceptable for the EU," European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience, and a Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall, said. EU representative Magnus Heunicke said in a post on social media that the text "doesn't meet the minimum needed to respond to the huge plastic challenge". 'Let me be clear, this is not acceptable for future generations,' said Erin Silsbe, representing Canada. Oil- and gas-producing nations raised other concerns, with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and others saying that the draft doesn't have the scope they want to set the parameters of the treaty or precise definitions. The United States said that six articles crossed red lines, but didn't say how. India's delegation, on the other hand, said that the draft is a 'good enough starting point.' What was included in the treaty draft? The draft contains one mention of plastic production in the preamble, reaffirming the importance of promoting sustainable production and consumption of plastics. It doesn't contain an article on production from a previous draft. There is no mention of chemicals. The new provisions seek to reduce the number of problematic plastic products that often enter the environment and are difficult to recycle, and promote the redesign of plastic products so that they can be recycled and reused. Parties to the treaty would improve their waste management. Luis Vayas Valdivieso, the chair of the negotiating committee, drafted the document based on the views expressed by nations throughout the negotiations. He told them that he did it to move them closer to a legally-binding instrument, and they can shape and improve it, as well as add and delete wording. With little time left, he said, it's time to build bridges, not dig in over red lines. David Azoulay, Head of the delegation for the Centre for International Environmental Law, said the text makes "a mockery of a three-year-long consultative process" - one that included board support for a treaty addressing the full lifecycle of plastics. "This is a treaty that all but ensures that nothing will change. It gives in to petrostate and industry demands with weak, voluntary measures that guarantee we continue to produce plastic at increasing levels indefinitely, fail to safeguard human health, endanger the environment, and damn future generations," he adds. "It will be very difficult to come back from this, and we encourage Member States to reject the text." What is blocking progress on the plastics treaty? The biggest issue of the talks has been whether the treaty should impose caps on producing new plastic or focus instead on things like better design, recycling and reuse. Around 100 countries want to limit production as well as tackle cleanup and recycling. Many have said it's essential to address toxic chemicals. Powerful oil and gas-producing nations and the plastics industry oppose production limits. They want a treaty focused on better waste management and reuse.
Euronews
3 days ago
- General
- Euronews
What is the main use of plastics in Europe amid global negotiations?
In Europe, around three-quarters of plastic is used mainly for non-packaging purposes, including construction, furniture, textiles and consumer electronics. In Western Europe, the average annual plastic consumption is around 150kg per person, more than twice the global average of 60kg. The use of plastic in Europe is set to reach 101.2 million tonnes by 2040, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Until 14 August, nations from around the world are convening at a UN conference in Geneva to negotiate a deal aimed at tackling plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. The main points of discussion include reducing the production levels of single-use plastics, banning some of the most harmful chemicals found in plastics, establishing universal guidelines for the design of plastic products, and securing financing for these initiatives. However, there has been strong opposition from a group of oil-producing nations, including Russia and Saudi Arabia. They prefer that the discussions focus not on reducing production, but rather on improving waste management and increasing recycling efforts. At the EU level, Commissioner for the Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall, is attending the Ministerial Segment of the negotiations. Globally, 460 million tonnes of plastic are produced every year, and 81% of plastic products end up as waste in less than a year. Only 9% of this waste is recycled, more than one-fifth is dumped in nature, and almost half ends up in landfill sites. Post-consumer recycled plastics accounted for 10.1% of the European plastics production, according to Plastics Europe. How are plastics impacting nature? As plastic consumption continues to rise, it is projected that mismanaged waste will increase by 47% and plastic leakage into the environment will rise by half by 2040. In the EU, there has already been a 9% increase in the unintended release of microplastics into the environment. Approximately 85% of marine litter originating from land-based sources is plastic, which poses risks to marine life and human health through the food chain. In addition to environmental pollution, plastic production significantly contributes to climate change. In the EU, annual emissions related to plastic production total around 13.4 million tonnes of CO2.
Euronews
10-07-2025
- Health
- Euronews
Why are EU ministers having blood tests for ‘forever chemicals'?
EU environment and climate ministers have been invited to have their blood tested for PFAS - harmful 'forever chemicals' linked to cancer and other serious health risks. The initiative, led by the Danish Ministry of Environment and Gender Equality in partnership with the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and non-profit ChemSec, aims to raise awareness of the growing PFAS pollution crisis affecting citizens and the environment across Europe. Ministers who have accepted will have their blood samples analysed for 13 PFAS substances, known for persisting in the environment and accumulating in the human body. 'It is crucial that we now take strong action against PFAS pollution' As one of the first actions of Denmark's EU Council Presidency, environment minister Magnus Heunicke launched the initiative and invited all 32 EU environment and climate ministers, as well as ministers from EFTA countries and Ukraine, to take the PFAS blood test. Heunicke has already undergone testing alongside Jessika Roswall, the European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy. 'PFAS accumulates both in the environment and in humans, and once it is present, it is very difficult to deal with,' Heunicke says. 'In humans, we know that PFAS can, among other things, cause cancer, and it can also affect aquatic environments and animals. 'It is crucial that we now take strong action against PFAS pollution, which is why measures must be taken across the EU to prevent, contain, and clean up PFAS.' How the EU plans to tackle PFAS pollution Denmark, alongside Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden, has submitted a joint proposal to the European Commission to ban the production, sale, and use of almost all PFAS under the EU's REACH regulation. This legislation addresses the production and use of chemical substances, and their potential impacts on both human health and the environment. The European Chemicals Agency's (ECHA) scientific committees are currently assessing the health, environment and socio-economic impacts of the proposal as well as the availability of safer alternatives. 'No one is immune to chemical pollution - neither people nor the environment. PFAS producers have long known the health risks - cancer, fertility issues, thyroid disease, and weakened immune system - and they're still choosing profit over people,' Patrick ten Brink, Secretary General at the EEB, says. What are PFAS exactly? PFAS are a group of over 10,000 man-made chemicals widely used in a long range of industrial processes and everyday products such as non-stick cookware, water-repellent fabrics, food packaging, and firefighting foams. Known for their extreme persistence in the environment and the human body, they are often referred to as 'forever chemicals'. Linked to cancer, infertility, thyroid disease, and immune system suppression, PFAS now contaminate the bodies of nearly all Europeans - including children, pregnant women, and adolescents. Experts warn that PFAS pollution ranks among the most serious public health threats of our time. The hidden cost of inaction against PFAS pollution Cleaning up PFAS pollution could cost the EU up to €2 trillion over the next 20 years, the EEB says, with environmental remediation alone estimated at €100 billion annually - not including the additional €52-84 billion in yearly health-related costs. Much like the tobacco and fossil fuel industries, major PFAS producers have long known about the severe health and environmental risks associated with their chemicals - yet chose to conceal the evidence, the EEB says. Despite contributing to an estimated €16 trillion in societal costs for environmental clean-up and healthcare per year, producers continue to profit with minimal accountability. 'These companies continue to lobby against regulation, obscure the science, and mislead decision-makers, all while communities across Europe are exposed to toxic chemicals,' Brink says. 'The cost of inaction is already staggering, and it's growing by the day. We urgently need to hold polluters accountable and stop this cycle of harm.' A spokesperson from EEB confirmed that ministers are undergoing testing today.
Euronews
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Nations issue ‘Nice Wake-Up Call' on plastic pollution treaty
Ministers and representatives from more than 95 countries called for an ambitious agreement from global plastics treaty negotiations at the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) on Tuesday. Negotiations for the UN plastics treaty collapsed in late 2024 with nations unable to agree on how best to stop millions of tonnes of plastic from entering the environment each year. The next round of negotiations is due to resume in Geneva, Switzerland, in August. The declaration, dubbed the 'Nice Wake-Up Call', identifies five elements that the signatories say are key to achieving a global agreement that is 'commensurate with what science tells us and our citizens are calling for'. They include a full lifecycle approach, including: plastic production, phasing out chemicals of concern and problematic products, improvements to product design, effective means of implementation, and incorporating provisions that will allow for a treaty that can evolve. 'A treaty that lacks these elements, only relies on voluntary measures or does not address the full lifecycle of plastics will not be effective to deal with the challenge of plastic pollution,' the Nice Wake-Up call reads. French Minister for Ecological Transition Agnes Pannier-Runacher told the ocean summit in Nice that the declaration sends a 'clear and strong message'. More than 200 nations met in South Korea last year for what was meant to be a final round of talks on a landmark agreement to tackle global plastic pollution. But following two years of negotiations, these talks ended without a final treaty after deep divisions formed between countries calling for plastic to be phased out and oil-producing nations. One of the most contentious points was whether there should be a commitment to cut how much plastic is produced or whether waste can be reduced through recycling efforts. Pannier-Runacher told journalists at UNOC on Tuesday that comprehensive measures covering the full lifecycle of plastics are needed. 'Better waste management and recycling will not help solve the problem. This is a lie.' The declaration represents a united front from those countries pushing for an ambitious treaty ahead of the resumed negotiations. Jessica Roswall, EU Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, urged countries to approach the resumed negotiations in August 'through dialogue and with willingness to find common ground'. With talks in Nice centred around ensuring oceans are protected, an ambitious plastics treaty is key to this goal. "Every year, over 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced worldwide – one-third of which is used just once,' Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said as UNOC opened on Monday. 'Every day, the equivalent of over 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic is dumped into our oceans, rivers, and lakes.' Plastic production is expected to triple by 2060, but currently, just 9 per cent is recycled around the world. Around 11 million tonnes of plastic waste finds its way into the ocean each year, and plastic waste makes up 80 per cent of all marine pollution. Andres del Castillo, senior attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law, says the Wake-Up Call should be a 'floor, not a ceiling'. 'For the Global Plastics Treaty to succeed, Member States must move beyond vague promises and define how they are going to deliver, including through clear, legally binding measures and a human rights-based approach. 'Come August in Geneva, political statements will not be enough. We must see Member States stand up to petrostate and fossil fuel interests on the floor of the negotiations. Their actions will speak louder than words.' This May was the world's second warmest ever recorded, exceeded only by May 2024, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), bringing unusually dry conditions to northwestern Europe. Data shows that the global average surface air temperature was 15.79°C last month, 0.53°C higher than the 1991 to 2020 average. May was an estimated 1.4°C above the average for 1850 to 1900 - the period used to define the pre-industrial average. It interrupts a sweltering stretch where 21 out of 22 months breached this 1.5°C threshold, though EU scientists say this is unlikely to last. 'May 2025 breaks an unprecedentedly long sequence of months over 1.5°C above pre-industrial,' says Carlo Buontempo, director of C3S at ECMWF. Whether or not the world breaches the Paris Agreement target of keeping global warming below 1.5°C is measured over decades, not single months, meaning it has not technically been passed. 'Whilst this may offer a brief respite for the planet, we do expect the 1.5°C threshold to be exceeded again in the near future due to the continued warming of the climate system,' Buontempo adds. High temperatures have been paired with dry weather across much of the world over the last few months. In Europe, May brought drier than average conditions to much of northern and central Europe as well as southern regions of Russia, Ukraine, and Türkiye. This spring has been a contrast between drier-than-average conditions in the north and west and wetter-than-average conditions across the south and northwestern Russia. Parts of northwestern Europe saw their lowest precipitation and soil moisture levels since at least 1979. And persistent dry conditions have led to the lowest spring river flow across Europe since records began in 1992. More than half of the land in Europe and the Mediterranean basin faced some form of drought from 11 to 20 May, according to data from the European Drought Observatory. That is the highest level recorded for that period of time in the year since monitoring began in 2012. Farmers across northern Europe have voiced fears for their crops, with unusually dry weather delaying the sprouting of wheat and corn. In the UK, the National Farmers' Union warned in early May that some crops were already failing due to the country's driest spring in well over a century. In late May, the European Central Bank warned that water scarcity puts nearly 15 per cent of the euro area's economic output at risk. New research conducted with experts at the University of Oxford found that water was the single biggest nature-related risk to the euro area economy.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Clothing prioritized in European Commission's 5-year plan
This story was originally published on Fashion Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Fashion Dive newsletter. The European Commission has prioritized textiles, especially clothing, in its five-year working plan for implementing legislation outlined in the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, or ESPR, which will begin this year, according to a press release. According to the plan, the commission will now, over the next five years, begin laying down specific requirements for product labeling and design. Those requirements will include minimum standards for a product's durability and recycled content, as well as mandatory digital product passports, per the press release. For clothing, these requirements need to be adopted in 2027, and apply to all products placed on the European market, regardless of their country of origin, or the size of the company producing them. ESPR was formally adopted by the European Commission last year, and the regulation is intended to help the European Union meet its environmental, circularity, and climate goals. The measure also harmonizes sustainability requirements and will 'level the playing field' across the EU's 27 member countries, which include 450 million consumers, per the working plan's details. Textiles, especially clothing, emerged as a top priority in the plan. The European market size for the sector, excluding footwear, is estimated at 78 billion euros, or about $88 billion. Although footwear is not included in the working plan currently outlined, a study will be commissioned to evaluate improving footwear's sustainability, to be completed by 2027. The current plan is intended to 'build up experience and capacity of ESPR to reach its full regulatory potential,' eventually expanding to other products, per plan documents. 'By setting clear priorities, we are providing legal certainty and predictability for the concerned industries, fostering innovation, and driving investment to support the transition to a circular economy,' Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, said in the press release. Recommended Reading European Council adopts proposal to delay sustainability reporting Sign in to access your portfolio
