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DW
5 days ago
- Politics
- DW
Countries can't agree on how to stop plastic crisis – DW – 08/15/2025
After limits on production and regulating chemicals prevented agreement at UN talks in Geneva, where to next for the fight against plastic pollution? The collapse of the latest UN plastic treaty negotiations once again laid bare a fault line in global environmental diplomacy: the clash between countries pushing for plastic production cuts and those defending fossil fuel-linked industries. "At one end of the spectrum are the small island states, which are confronted with immense plastic pollution on their coasts and in their seas without contributing significantly to the pollution themselves," said Jochen Flasbarth, Germany's state secretary for the environment. At the other end, he added, are "those countries whose economies are dominated by oil or the raw materials for plastic."While the failure to reach agreement was widely anticipated, the sixth round of talks in Geneva revealed how entrenched interests — particularly from oil-producing states and major plastic manufacturers — continue to shape the trajectory of global efforts to curb plastic pollution. "It is deeply disappointing to see some countries that are trying to block an agreement, a treaty that will give us the instruments needed to tackle plastic pollution, one of the biggest pollution problems we have on Earth," Danish Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke told DW early Friday morning, after more than 180 nations failed to reach a deal. Negotiations on a binding UN treaty began in 2022. After three years of talks, securing a decisive commitment to reduce plastic production remained the central sticking point in Geneva. Roughly 100 nations — including in Africa, Latin America, and the EU — pushed for deep production cuts, regulation of toxic chemicals, and a phase-out of single-use plastics in favor of reusable alternatives. But major producers and oil states in the "like-minded" group, including Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United States, resisted any binding limits. They favored focusing on waste management, leaving production largely untouched. A revised draft presented Friday morning recognized that current plastic output levels are "unsustainable" and require global action to reverse the trend but stopped short of imposing binding limits. Such limits were a red line for many countries in the like-minded bloc. Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti negotiators criticized the final proposal for addressing plastic production, which they consider outside the scope of the treaty. Yet scientists have warned that capping production is essential to curb pollution and protect water, soil, oceans, and human health. Marine scientist Melanie Bergmann of the Alfred Wegener Institute argues the world has already exceeded its planetary limits for plastic waste. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videoMicroplastics have been found from the highest mountains to the deepest seas — and in human blood, breast milk, and vital organs — with links to strokes, heart attacks, and other health risks. Plastics, 99% of which are derived from fossil fuels, contribute to greenhouse gas emissions at every stage, from production to disposal. Meeting the Paris Agreement climate goals and limiting planetary heating would require cutting plastic production by at least 12 to 19%. Yet just 9% of plastic is recycled. The rest is burned, landfilled, or escapes into the environment. Observers noted the fossil fuel and chemical industry's strong presence at negotiations, with their registered lobbyists outnumbering the diplomatic delegations of all 27 European nations and the EU combined, according to analysis from Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL). Countries were also divided on placing legally binding controls on the chemicals used in plastics, with the high-ambition bloc wanting tighter regulation. Some 16,000 chemicals are used in plastics production, with more than 4,000 known to be toxic and most of the rest poorly studied. Advocates had called for tighter controls on hazardous substances, stronger waste management rules, and clear financing commitments, especially for lower income countries dealing with pollution. Several states' representatives, including from Norway, Australia, and Tuvalu, said they were deeply disappointed to be leaving Geneva without a treaty. Delegations from countries such as Peru, Colombia, and island states like the Maldives and Panama, had fought for stricter rules with passionate statements. Commenting on an earlier draft of the text, Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez, Panama's climate envoy, said "we will not sell out our children's future." Environment secretary Flasbarth said Germany and its partners in the EU would continue to build bridges and push for further negotiations to reach a global agreement. Yet the absence of political heavyweights in Geneva also fueled doubts about how committed some in the "high-ambition" group were to the agreement. While several European environment ministers attended, Germany's federal environment minister was notably while part of the pro-ambition bloc, is also Europe's biggest plastic producer and home to chemical giants like BASF, Bayer, Merck, and Henkel. Recognizing those competing priorities, some observers stressed the need for cooperation across divergent national and industrial interests. "There are governments that have very significant economic interests in this industry continuing, and we have to work together to figure out a way to resolve this crisis," said Graham Forbes, head of the Greenpeace delegation. The Business Coalition for a Global Plastic Treaty and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation urged governments to continue striving for an agreement on "harmonized regulations across the full lifecycle of plastics."But it remains unclear whether negotiations toward a UN plastic treaty will resume in their current form. Under existing rules, all countries must agree for any proposal to be adopted. Luis Vayas Valdivieso, chair of the UN plastic talks, told AFP that countries and the secretariat "will be working to try to find a date and also a place" for continuing negotiations. However, David Azoulay, director of environmental health at CIEL said the negotiation process itself was broken and that high-ambition countries should leave to "form a treaty of the willing." "The world does not need more plastic. The people know it, doctors know it, scientists know it, and the markets know it. The movement to end plastic pollution goes beyond just the treaty, and it does not end here," Azoulay added.
Canberra Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Canberra Times
'Enraged': no plastic treaty as talks end without deal
"Of course we cannot hide that it is tragic and deeply disappointing to see some countries trying to block an agreement," Danish Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke said on behalf of the EU.
eNCA
7 days ago
- Politics
- eNCA
Deadlocked plastics treaty talks 'at cliff's edge'
Negotiators from 184 countries remained riven Wednesday on how to curb plastic pollution, less than 36 hours before they were slated to deliver a binding global treaty. Diplomats are "at the edge of a cliff," one official observer told AFP. Dozens of ministers have arrived in Geneva to try to break the deadlock as the 10-day talks hurtle towards a close, but widely divergent positions have made the search for a so-called landing zone "very difficult", according to Danish Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke. A new draft of the treaty text, streamlined by the talks chair, is expected later Wednesday, several sources told AFP. A plenary meeting to take stock of where things stand is scheduled for 7:00 pm. The debate continues to pit the so-called "Like-Minded Group" of chiefly oil-producing countries that refuse restrictions on the production of plastic -- a derivative of oil -- or certain chemicals thought to be harmful to health against a much larger "high ambition" bloc that favours such measures. David Azoulay, director of the environmental health programme at the Center for International Environmental Law group, told AFP he expects the new summary text to be "very weak" and a "lowest common denominator", falling short of the treaty's purpose: resolving the global plastic pollution crisis. "Negotiators are at the edge of a cliff," said Pamela Miller, co-chair of the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), which has official observer status. The World Wide Fund for Nature's Eirik Lindebjerg fears last-minute compromises will result in a "bad deal". WWF has identified "more than 150 countries in favour of a ban on certain plastics and toxic products, and 136 keen to strengthen the treaty over time," he told AFP. Graham Forbes, head of the Greenpeace delegation, echoed this sentiment, telling AFP on Wednesday that "ministers must reject a weak treaty". Other observers, however, suggested there was not enough attention given to the industrial transformations required in producing countries for the talks to succeed. "Some are approaching the issue from the perspective of industrial policy, international trade and market access but are not being listened to, while on the other side they are talking about regulation, the environment and health," Aleksandar Rankovic from The Common Initiative think-tank, told AFP. "It can't work."
Euractiv
7 days ago
- Politics
- Euractiv
Deadlocked plastics treaty talks ‘at cliff's edge'
AFP Aug 13, 2025 14:39 2 min. read News Service Produced externally by an organization we trust to adhere to journalistic standards. Negotiators from 184 countries remained riven Wednesday on how to curb plastic pollution, less than 36 hours before they were slated to deliver a binding global treaty. Diplomats are "at the edge of a cliff," said one official observer. Dozens of ministers have arrived in Geneva to try to break the deadlock as the 10-day talks hurtle towards a close, but widely divergent positions have made the search for a so-called landing zone "very difficult", according to Danish Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke. A new draft of the treaty text, streamlined by the talks chair, is expected later Wednesday, noted several sources. A plenary meeting to take stock of where things stand is scheduled for 19:00. The debate continues to pit the so-called "Like-Minded Group" of chiefly oil-producing countries that refuse restrictions on the production of plastic – a derivative of oil – or certain chemicals thought to be harmful to health against a much larger "high ambition" bloc that favours such measures, which includes the EU. David Azoulay, director of the environmental health programme at the Center for International Environmental Law group, said he expects the new summary text to be "very weak" and a "lowest common denominator", falling short of the treaty's purpose: resolving the global plastic pollution crisis. "Negotiators are at the edge of a cliff," said Pamela Miller, co-chair of the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), which has official observer status. The World Wide Fund for Nature's Eirik Lindebjerg fears last-minute compromises will result in a "bad deal". WWF has identified "more than 150 countries in favour of a ban on certain plastics and toxic products, and 136 keen to strengthen the treaty over time," he said. Graham Forbes, head of the Greenpeace delegation, echoed this sentiment, saying that "ministers must reject a weak treaty". Other observers, however, suggested there was not enough attention given to the industrial transformations required in producing countries for the talks to succeed. "Some are approaching the issue from the perspective of industrial policy, international trade and market access but are not being listened to, while on the other side they are talking about regulation, the environment and health," said Aleksandar Rankovic from The Common Initiative think-tank. "It can't work." (cp)
Int'l Business Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Deadlocked Plastics Treaty Talks 'At Cliff's Edge'
Negotiators from 184 countries remained riven Wednesday on how to curb plastic pollution, less than 36 hours before they were slated to deliver a binding global treaty. Diplomats are "at the edge of a cliff," one official observer told AFP. Dozens of ministers have arrived in Geneva to try to break the deadlock as the 10-day talks hurtle towards a close, but widely divergent positions have made the search for a so-called landing zone "very difficult", according to Danish Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke. A new draft of the treaty text, streamlined by the talks chair, is expected later Wednesday, several sources told AFP. A plenary meeting to take stock of where things stand is scheduled for 7:00 pm (1700 GMT). The debate continues to pit the so-called "Like-Minded Group" of chiefly oil-producing countries that refuse restrictions on the production of plastic -- a derivative of oil -- or certain chemicals thought to be harmful to health against a much larger "high ambition" bloc that favours such measures. David Azoulay, director of the environmental health programme at the Center for International Environmental Law group, told AFP he expects the new summary text to be "very weak" and a "lowest common denominator", falling short of the treaty's purpose: resolving the global plastic pollution crisis. "Negotiators are at the edge of a cliff," said Pamela Miller, co-chair of the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), which has official observer status. The World Wide Fund for Nature's Eirik Lindebjerg fears last-minute compromises will result in a "bad deal". WWF has identified "more than 150 countries in favour of a ban on certain plastics and toxic products, and 136 keen to strengthen the treaty over time," he told AFP. Graham Forbes, head of the Greenpeace delegation, echoed this sentiment, telling AFP on Wednesday that "ministers must reject a weak treaty". Other observers, however, suggested there was not enough attention given to the industrial transformations required in producing countries for the talks to succeed. "Some are approaching the issue from the perspective of industrial policy, international trade and market access but are not being listened to, while on the other side they are talking about regulation, the environment and health," Aleksandar Rankovic from The Common Initiative think-tank, told AFP. "It can't work."
