As U.N. delegates gather in Busan, South Korea, for the fifth round of talks on a global plastics treaty, deep divisions persist, raising doubts about reaching a final agreement on curbing plastic pollution.
As delegates from 175 nations convene in Busan, South Korea, for the fifth round of U.N. talks aimed at securing a global treaty to tackle plastic pollution, unresolved divisions raise concerns over whether a final agreement will be reached. The meeting, which began on Monday, is expected to be the concluding session of the U.N. Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5). However, the previous round of discussions in Ottawa, held in April, ended without a clear resolution on capping plastic production.
The focus of this week's talks will shift towards addressing chemicals of concern and other measures, following strong opposition from petrochemical-heavy nations such as Saudi Arabia and China, who resisted proposals to target plastic production. Their objections stand in stark contrast to the positions of countries that face the harsh consequences of plastic pollution.
These ongoing disagreements mirror the tensions that have long impeded U.N. efforts to combat global warming. The most recent climate summit, COP29, ended with an agreement that many developing nations criticised as insufficient.
At the opening session in Busan, INC Chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso warned that without decisive action, the amount of plastic entering the environment annually by 2040 could nearly double compared to levels in 2022. He emphasised the urgency of addressing this "existential challenge," noting that microplastics have been detected in human organs.
In a surprising development in August, the United States expressed its support for a cap on plastic production in the treaty, aligning itself with the European Union, Kenya, Peru, and other members of the High Ambition Coalition. This move has raised expectations for progress in the negotiations.
Despite the hurdles, Inger Andersen, executive director of the U.N. Environment Programme, remains optimistic that an agreement will emerge from the talks. She highlighted the communique from the recent Group of 20 summit, where leaders called for a legally binding treaty by the end of this year.
According to Bloomberg News, the United States and Russia are working toward an agreement aimed at halting the war in Ukraine by formalizing Russia’...
A fire broke out at Cordoba’s historic mosque-cathedral on the night of 8 August but was swiftly extinguished, preventing damage to one of Spain’...
Wildfires driven by powerful winds swept through Greece on Friday, from the southern outskirts of Athens to the region near Ancient Olympia....
The Canadian government announced Friday it will join key allies in reducing the price cap on Russian seaborne crude oil in response to Moscow’s ong...
Washington, D.C., will see its federal security funding reduced by $20 million this year under a Trump administration plan, despite the president’s ...
South Korea and the U.S. will begin an 11-day joint military exercise on 18 August, with half of the drills postponed to September due to extreme weather, a South Korean military spokesperson said.
China can visit South Korea without a visa from the end of September until June next year. Seoul made the announcement for temporary visa-free entry to tourist groups on Wednesday (6 August).
South Korea announced on Tuesday that North Korea has shown no signs of dismantling its own border loudspeakers, even after Seoul began removing its devices as a goodwill gesture to reduce tensions.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 4th of August, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will send an upgraded ‘version 3.0’ free-trade agreement to their heads of government for approval in October, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday after regional talks in Kuala Lumpur.
A resumption of Iraq’s Kurdish oil exports is not expected in the near term, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, despite an announcement by Iraq’s federal government a day earlier stating that shipments would resume immediately.
Chinese automaker Chery has denied an industry-ministry audit that disqualified more than $53 million in state incentives for thousands of its electric and hybrid vehicles, insisting it followed official guidance and committed no fraud.
Wildfires driven by powerful winds swept through Greece on Friday, from the southern outskirts of Athens to the region near Ancient Olympia.
The residents of Pingtou, a small village in China's southern Guangdong province, are grappling with the worst floods in living memory. While the region is accustomed to typhoons and seasonal downpours, this week’s flooding has shocked even the oldest villagers.
A growing number of extreme climate events are inflating food prices around the world, with new research showing that key crops such as coffee, cocoa, rice and vegetables have seen sharp increases due to weather shocks.
The Great Barrier Reef has suffered its most significant coral decline in nearly four decades, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences (AIMS).
Torrential monsoon rains continue to wreak havoc across northern and eastern India, with widespread flooding reported in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Overflowing rivers, submerged streets, and landslides have left residents stranded and local infrastructure overwhelmed.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment