By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
On World Environment Day, civil society leaders around the world are holding participating countries accountable to their shared commitment to ratify a plastics treaty that targets the full lifecycle of plastics, including production.
The theme for this year’s World Environment Day is #BeatPlasticPollution, a campaign led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The choice of this theme is particularly timely given that what is hoped to be the final round of negotiations for an international plastics treaty will be held later this year, on August 5-14 in Geneva, Switzerland.
The GAIA’s Global Plastics Policy Director Ana Rocha, in a statement states, “While we appreciate UNEP’s choice of World Environment Day theme to catalyze action on plastic pollution, the only meaningful way to succeed in the existential task of beating plastic pollution is for world leaders to agree to a plastics treaty that mandates cuts to plastic production, and for each nation to do their part in drastically reducing production and scaling reuse. It’s time to turn off the plastic tap.”
According to a release, the Republic of Korea has positioned itself on the international stage as a key convener in the multilateral goal to tackle plastic pollution– not only is it hosting World Environment Day for the first time since 1997, but it also hosted the previous round of plastics treaty negotiations in Busan late last year.
Ironically, South Korea is the fourth largest producer of plastic polymers as of 2024, behind Saudi Arabia, the United States, and China in the lead.
“As the host country of World Environment Day and a key member of the High Ambition Coalition, South Korea has a vital opportunity to show genuine leadership by actively supporting ambitious plastic production reduction measures in the treaty.
Last year’s negotiations in Busan fell short of expectations, but the upcoming talks offer a chance for Korea to step up, restore trust, and lead the world toward a strong, legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution.” — Uproot Plastics (플뿌리연대)
At the last round of treaty negotiations in Busan, over 100 countries demonstrated strong support for a global target to reduce plastic production, with the majority of Member States in the UN.
However, a small number of mainly petrochemical-producing nations have consistently blocked progress towards a treaty.
Asia can be a leader in international negotiations, especially given the multitude of zero waste policies and programs in the region that have demonstrated the environmental, social, and economic benefits of transitioning away from plastics on a municipal level.
However, multiple countries in Asia have welcomed waste incineration to deal with the plastic problem, a known climate and public health threat.
Electricity produced by incinerators is more carbon-intensive than electricity generated through the conventional use of fossil fuels. Even the most “state-of-the-art” incinerators have been shown to emit dioxins, heavy metals, and PFAS.
Japan, which relies heavily on waste incineration, has successfully lobbied for its inclusion in the latest treaty draft text. Cecilia Bianco of Taller Ecologista, Argentina, states, “The incineration of plastics releases highly toxic chemicals such as dioxins and PFAS, which pollute our air and food and accumulate in our bodies, as confirmed by biomonitoring carried out since 2000.
The negotiations on the Plastics Treaty cannot open the door to death sentences such as incineration.”
The world produces more than 460 million tons of plastic every year, equivalent to over 300,000 blue whales or 45,500 Eiffel Towers.
Current projections are for plastic production to triple by 2060 unless world leaders take significant action.
“Over 100 countries in Busan called for an ambitious treaty that focuses on production reduction of plastics and on protecting human health and the environment from harmful chemical additives in plastics, while recognising the right to participation of vulnerable groups such as Indigenous Peoples and waste pickers in a just transition,” states Griffins Ochieng of Centre for Environment Justice and Development (CEJAD).
