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Countries negotiating a global treaty to address plastic pollution failed to come to an agreement at the fifth U.N. Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) meeting in Busan, South Korea. The main point of contention was whether to cap plastic production or just focus on managing plastic waste. More than 100 nations supported a proposal to cap production, while a few oil-producing nations were against this idea.
The meeting ended with a decision to postpone key decisions and resume talks at a later date. The chair of the meeting presented a revised document with various options on sensitive issues, but no consensus was reached. Petrochemical-producing nations like Saudi Arabia opposed efforts to reduce plastic production and tried to delay negotiations. The top five primary polymer-producing nations in 2023 were China, the United States, India, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia.
The failure to reach an agreement comes after the conclusion of the COP29 summit in Baku, where a new global target for climate finance was set. Some countries, including Saudi Arabia, have been using procedural tactics to obstruct negotiations in both the plastic pollution treaty talks and climate finance discussions.
Despite the postponement, negotiators expressed urgency in resuming talks to address the growing crisis of plastic pollution. The need for further deliberations to achieve an effective and inclusive treaty was emphasized, considering the significant impact plastic pollution has on the environment and human health.
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