“Unfortunately, after years-long negotiation, we are witnessing that some of the wrong ideas or issues totally beyond our mandate, such as chemicals of concern, are back again into the papers,” countered Iran’s Massoud Rezvanian Rahaghi at the closing plenary.
Countries are insisting on “unrealistic elements,” he argued, and employing “unfair and restricting tactics to exclude a large number of parties in very undemocratic ways.”
Changing the game
The election of U.S. President Donald Trump and his “drill-baby-drill” ethos has brought the U.S. in line with the likes of Iran and Saudi Arabia — giving them a powerful player in their corner. The EU and other “high-ambition” countries have been hoping to bring major plastic producer China on board to counter that pushback, seeing it as a more constructive player in the talks.
Several delegates and observers noted more openness from the country on measures aimed at phasing out problematic plastic products. While China is the world’s number one consumer and producer of plastic, the country has brought in its own restrictions on the production, sale, and use of single-use plastics in a bid to stem a national pollution crisis.
“Plastic pollution is far more complex than we expected,” said Chinese representative Haijun Chen, at the closing plenary session. “It runs through the entire chain of production, consumption and recycling and waste management, as well as relates to the transition of development models of over 190 U.N. countries.”
While subtle, CIEL’s Azoulay said China’s reference to the entire plastic value chain is the “kind of move and leadership that I think is needed to create this.” Although unlikely to bring the U.S. or the Gulf countries on board, “it completely changes the dynamic for those realist countries who know that there is an opening to have a conversation with the leading producer of the world.”
In the meantime, civil society groups continue urging self-proclaimed ambitious countries to move the treaty beyond the barriers of consensus and push for a vote.
“There needs to be more effective leadership in this space where we can actually get something on the table, because our world is already dying,” said Heni Unwin, a Māori marine scientist with the Aotearoa Plastic Pollution Alliance. “At least we didn’t sign something that isn’t going to be fully ineffective and doesn’t have global measures.”