Global talks on plastic pollution begin after two days of impasse

From Monday to Friday, 175 countries are meeting in the French capital, in the second round of five negotiation sessions that aim to draw up a binding treaty by the end of 2024.

Annual plastic production has doubled in the last 20 years, reaching a level of 460 million tons. If there is no control, it could triple by 2060.

Saudi Arabia and several Gulf countries, producers of fossil energy, as well as Brazil, Russia, China and India, reject the possibility of the future agreement being approved by a qualified majority of two thirds, if there is no consensus.

Most countries advocate a vote as a last resort, which would allow an impeding minority to be bypassed.

The countries finally agreed this Wednesday morning to register their disagreement and begin basic discussions.

The president of the International Negotiations Committee (INC), Peruvian Gustavo Meza-Cuadra Velásquez, closed the session at around 18 pm (13 pm Brasília time) to begin technical negotiations in groups.

Saudi Arabia tried to raise objections again, but the Mexican delegate, Camila Zepeda, interrupted:

“All delegates, please stand up and let's go to the contact groups”, she said, standing and ready to leave, amidst the applause of the other envoys, eager to start the technical questions.

Over the next two days, countries will work behind closed doors in two groups: the first, led by the Republic of Palau and Germany, on the fundamental objectives and commitments of the future treaty; the second, led by Australia and Ghana, on its means (financial, technological) and implementation mechanisms.

“Large producing countries are putting themselves on the defensive, in a similar way to what we observed in the climate negotiations,” said Li Shuo, from Greenpeace, consulted by AFP.

With the difference, in this case, that African nations are closer to “ambitious countries” and “environmental activists”, as they “suffer a large part of plastic pollution, but do not produce much”.

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