Latest news with #Micronesian
eNCA
2 days ago
- Politics
- eNCA
Four days left to square the circle on global plastic pollution treaty
GENEVA - Countries remained at loggerheads on Monday over how to tackle plastic pollution, with only four days left to craft a landmark global treaty on reining in the ever-growing scourge. While plastic has transformed modern life, plastic pollution poses an increasing threat to the environment and the human body -- and every day the garbage accumulates on land and in the oceans. The 184 countries meeting at the United Nations to sculpt a first international accord setting out the way forward return to the negotiating table after a day off on Sunday to reflect on their differences. AFP | Dibyangshu SARKAR The first week of talks in Geneva fell behind schedule and failed to produce a clear text, with states still deeply divided at square one: the purpose and scope of the treaty they started negotiating two and a half years ago. Last week, working groups met on technical topics ranging from the design of plastic to waste management, production, financing for recycling, plastic reuse, and funding waste collection in developing countries. They also discussed molecules and chemical additives that pose environmental and health risks. - Rival camps - A nebulous cluster of mostly oil-producing states calling themselves the Like-Minded Group -- including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Russia, Iran, and Malaysia -- want the treaty to focus primarily on waste management. AFP | Sylvie HUSSON, Christophe THALABOT The United States and India are also close to this club. At the other end of the spectrum, a growing faction calling themselves the "ambitious" group want radical action written into the treaty, including measures to curb the damage caused by plastic garbage, such as phasing out the most dangerous chemicals. Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peaks, in the deepest ocean trench and scattered throughout almost every part of the human body. The ambitious group wants a clause reining in plastic production, which is set to triple by 2060. The club brings together the European Union, many African and Latin American countries, Australia, Britain, Switzerland and Canada. AFP | Olivier MORIN It also includes island micro-nations drowning in plastic trash they did little to produce and have little capacity to deal with. Palau, speaking for 39 small island developing states (SIDS), said the treaty had to deal with removing the plastic garbage "already choking our oceans". "SIDS will not stand by while our future is bartered away in a stalemate," and "this brinkmanship has a real price: a dying ocean," the Micronesian archipelago said. - Consensus 'delusion' - The treaty is set to be settled by universal consensus, but with countries far apart, the lowest-ambition countries are quite comfortable not budging, observers said. AFP | Nicholas SHEARMAN "We risk having a meaningless treaty without any binding global rules like bans and phase-outs. This is unacceptable," Eirik Lindebjerg, global plastics adviser for the World Wide Fund for Nature, told AFP. "Expecting any meaningful outcome to this process through consensus is a delusion. With the time remaining, the ambitious governments must come together as a majority to finalise the treaty text and prepare to agree it through a vote." Without touching on whether ambitious countries would ultimately abandon consensus and go for a vote, the EU's environment commissioner Jessika Roswall, due in Geneva on Monday, urged countries to speed up negotiations and not "miss this historic opportunity". The draft treaty has ballooned from 22 to 35 pages -- with the number of brackets in the text going up near five-fold to almost 1,500 as countries insert a blizzard of conflicting wishes and ideas. In total, 70 ministers and around 30 senior government officials are expected in Geneva from Tuesday onwards and could perhaps help break the deadlock. by Isabel Malsang
Int'l Business Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Four Days Left To Square The Circle On Global Plastic Pollution Treaty
Countries remained at loggerheads Monday over how to tackle plastic pollution, with only four days left to craft a landmark global treaty on reining in the ever-growing scourge. While plastic has transformed modern life, plastic pollution poses an increasing threat to the environment and the human body -- and every day the garbage accumulates on land and in the oceans. The 184 countries meeting at the United Nations to sculpt a first international accord setting out the way forward return to the negotiating table after a day off Sunday to reflect on their differences. The first week of talks in Geneva fell behind schedule and failed to produce a clear text, with states still deeply divided at square one: the purpose and scope of the treaty they started negotiating two and a half years ago. Last week, working groups met on technical topics ranging from the design of plastic to waste management, production, financing for recycling, plastic reuse, and funding waste collection in developing countries. They also discussed molecules and chemical additives that pose environmental and health risks. A nebulous cluster of mostly oil-producing states calling themselves the Like-Minded Group -- including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Russia, Iran, and Malaysia -- want the treaty to focus primarily on waste management. The United States and India are also close to this club. At the other end of the spectrum, a growing faction calling themselves the "ambitious" group want radical action written into the treaty, including measures to curb the damage caused by plastic garbage, such as phasing out the most dangerous chemicals. Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peaks, in the deepest ocean trench and scattered throughout almost every part of the human body. The ambitious group wants a clause reining in plastic production, which is set to triple by 2060. The club brings together the European Union, many African and Latin American countries, Australia, Britain, Switzerland and Canada. It also includes island micro-nations drowning in plastic trash they did little to produce and have little capacity to deal with. Palau, speaking for 39 small island developing states (SIDS), said the treaty had to deal with removing the plastic garbage "already choking our oceans". "SIDS will not stand by while our future is bartered away in a stalemate," and "this brinkmanship has a real price: a dying ocean," the Micronesian archipelago said. The treaty is set to be settled by universal consensus; but with countries far apart, the lowest-ambition countries are quite comfortable not budging, observers said. "We risk having a meaningless treaty without any binding global rules like bans and phase-outs. This is unacceptable," Eirik Lindebjerg, global plastics adviser for the World Wide Fund for Nature, told AFP. "Expecting any meaningful outcome to this process through consensus is a delusion. With the time remaining, the ambitious governments must come together as a majority to finalise the treaty text and prepare to agree it through a vote." Without touching on whether ambitious countries would ultimately abandon consensus and go for a vote, the EU's environment commissioner Jessika Roswall, due in Geneva on Monday, urged countries to speed up negotiations and not "miss this historic opportunity". The draft treaty has ballooned from 22 to 35 pages -- with the number of brackets in the text going up near five-fold to almost 1,500 as countries insert a blizzard of conflicting wishes and ideas. In total, 70 ministers and around 30 senior government officials are expected in Geneva from Tuesday onwards and could perhaps help break the deadlock. Women sorting through plastic waste in Pekanbaru, Indonesia AFP Countries are trying to negotiate a groundbreaking international treaty on combating plastic pollution AFP Global plastics production could almost triple between 2019 and 2060 AFP Workers pack food containers made with virgin plastics at a factory on the outskirts of Kolkata, India AFP
Time Out
31-07-2025
- Time Out
Asia's travel boom is back – here's where everyone's going in 2025
If your passport's been feeling neglected, now's the time to blow the dust off because Asia is officially back on the global travel map. According to the latest figures from UN Tourism's World Tourism Barometer, Asia-Pacific welcomed 13% more international travellers in early 2025 (compared to the same period in 2024), reaching 92% of pre-pandemic levels. It's the strongest the region has been since borders reopened, and we reckon that the momentum is still building. Northeast Asia (including Japan, South Korea, and China) is leading the charge, with a massive 23% jump in arrivals compared to this time last year. If we break it down by country though, Vietnam is the Asian destination that everyone's talking about – and flying to. The country saw a 30% jump in tourist arrivals early this year, which is pretty much in line with reports that its tourism-related search growth has overtaken other heavyweights like Thailand and Singapore. Are we surprised? Not at all – the country has long been an underrated gem, with everything from gorgeous beaches along its long coast, stunning highlands in the north, and vibrant cities with growing food, drink, and thrifting scenes. Japan is another tourism powerhouse, recording a 23% jump in inbound travellers in the first quarter of 2025. This is perhaps to the dismay of residents in hot spots like Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, who have been speaking out about the impact of overtourism on their daily lives. We're not stopping you from travelling to Japan, though; but perhaps consider quieter prefectures that offer just as much, but with fewer crowds. UN Tourism's data highlights two other APAC destinations: Palau, a Micronesian archipelago, which saw a 20% jump in tourist arrivals, as well as South Korea, with a 14% jump in tourist arrivals. You can see the worldwide statistics on the UN Tourism website.
Japan Times
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Emperor meets with Micronesia's president
Emperor Naruhito met with Micronesian President Wesley Simina at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Tuesday. During the 30-minute talks, the emperor voiced sorrow over the loss of numerous lives in the Oceanian island country during World War II, which ended 80 years ago, according to the Imperial Household Agency. Emperor Naruhito also conveyed his gratitude to the president for the cooperation Micronesia has offered to Japan in collecting the remains of the Japanese war dead. In response, Simina said that he highly evaluates Japan's contributions to world peace in the postwar era. Emperor Naruhito also thanked Simina for visiting Fukushima Prefecture in March to observe the reconstruction efforts there following the earthquake and tsunami that hit the Tohoku region, including Fukushima, in March 2011. Simina is visiting Japan to attend the World Exposition in the city of Osaka.
30-07-2025
- Politics
Japan Emperor Meets with Micronesia's President
News from Japan Society Jul 30, 2025 11:17 (JST) Tokyo, July 30 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Emperor Naruhito has met with Micronesian President Wesley Simina at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. During the 30-minute talks Tuesday, the Emperor voiced sorrow over the loss of numerous lives in the Oceanian island country as well during World War II, which ended 80 years ago, according to the Imperial Household Agency. Emperor Naruhito also conveyed his gratitude to the president for the cooperation Micronesia has offered to Japan in collecting the remains of those who died in the war. In response, Simina said that he highly evaluates Japan's contributions to world peace in the postwar era. Emperor Naruhito also thanked Simina for visiting Fukushima Prefecture in March to observe the reconstruction efforts there following the giant earthquake and tsunami that hit the Tohoku northeastern Japan region, including Fukushima, in March 2011. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
