By Valerie Volcovici
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United Nations Environment Programme on Monday said a new round of negotiations toward a global plastics treaty will take place from August 5 to 14 in Geneva, Switzerland, after countries failed to agree on the parameters of a final agreement last December in Busan, South Korea.
The fifth U.N. Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) meeting intended to yield a legally binding global treaty in Busan was meant to be the final one, but countries remained far apart on the basic scope of a treaty and could agree only to postpone key decisions to the new session that will be dubbed INC 5.2.
The most divisive issues that prevented a final deal in Busan included capping plastic production, managing plastic products and chemicals of concern, and financing to help developing countries implement the treaty.
More than 100 countries backed a treaty draft that would have created a path for a global plastic production reduction target, while a competing proposal backed by oil and petrochemical-producing states omitted production caps.
Achieving agreement could face more headwinds when countries reconvene in Switzerland under a geopolitical landscape that has been transformed by strained diplomacy.
The U.S. under President Donald Trump withdrew from the Paris climate agreement. Washington under Trump also cut off financing to other countries for programs to fight climate change, and has begun implementing tariffs on countries including allies like Canada and Mexico.
The EU has shown signs of weakening some of its climate-focused policies, such as giving automakers more time to comply with new emissions targets, relaxing sustainability reporting requirements and widening exemptions for its border carbon levy.
The last round of UN climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan showed that climate cooperation was already fraying, with countries managing to agree on $300 billion a year global finance target that was panned by several countries like India.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by David Gregorio)
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