BUSAN, South Korea (Reuters) -Negotiators on a treaty to curb plastic pollution face tough debate on the last day of scheduled talks, as over 100 countries support curbing production while a handful of oil-producing countries want to focus only on plastic waste.
The fifth and final U.N. Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting to yield a legally binding global treaty is set to wrap up in Busan, South Korea, on Sunday, but a final plenary session has not been set.
A treaty could be the most significant deal relating to environmental protection as well as climate-warming emissions since the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Countries remained far apart on Sunday on the basic scope of the treaty. An option proposed by Panama, backed by over 100 countries, would create a path for a global plastic production reduction target, while another proposal does not include production caps.
"If you're not contributing constructively, and if you're not trying to join us in having an ambitious treaty... then please get out," Fiji's chief negotiator, Climate Minister Sivendra Michael, told a press conference.
A smaller number of petrochemical-producing nations such as Saudi Arabia have strongly opposed efforts to target plastic production and have tried to use procedural tactics to delay negotiations.
Saudi Arabia did not have an immediate comment.
China, the United States, India, South Korea and Saudi Arabia were the top five primary polymer producing nations in 2023, according to data provider Eunomia.
HOURS REMAINING
With just hours remaining for scheduled talks and consensus seemingly out of reach, some negotiators and observers fear the talks could collapse or be extended to another session.
Even if a legally binding treaty is not reached at Busan, "this is a multilateral process that can keep working towards that goal," Mexico's head of delegation, Camila Zepeda, told Reuters.
"We have... a coalition of the willing, over a hundred countries that want this, and we can start working together" on a way forward.
Plastic production is on track to triple by 2050, and microplastics have been found in air, fresh produce and even human breast milk.
The chair of the meeting, Luis Vayas Valdivieso, released a revised document on Sunday that could form the basis of a treaty.
But the text remained peppered with many options on the most divisive issues: capping plastic production, managing plastic products and chemicals of concern, and financing to help developing countries implement the treaty.
Chemicals of concern in plastics include more than 3,200 found according to a 2023 U.N. Environment Programme report, which said women and children were particularly susceptible to their toxicity.
"If it (the text) does not have the provisions of what we expect from an ambitious treaty, then we will.. go back to the same process pushing for an ambitious treaty," Sivendra said.
"Nobody is going to leave Busan with a weak treaty."
Even if global warming is limited to 1.5°C — the goal set by nearly 200 countries — rising seas will still pose a major threat to coastal communities for centuries, scientists say.
At least 10 people have died and another 10 remain missing following a flash flood and landslide in Indonesia’s West Papua province.
Latest data show dwindling river flows and worsening drought: these conditions are triggered by warmer-than-average weather and lower precipitation across much of the continent since the beginning of the year, according to the Drought in Europe – April 2025 report, published by the JRC.
The Sydney opera house, and other iconic national monuments round the world turned off their lights at 8:30pm local time to commemorate earth hour.
A WaterAid study finds major cities swinging between droughts and floods as climate change disrupts water cycles. Asia faces more floods, while Europe and the Middle East dry out. Cities like Hangzhou and Jakarta suffer extreme shifts, urging urgent infrastructure adaptation.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar will provide joint financial support for Syrian state employees, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan announced during a visit to Damascus, as regional efforts to support Syria’s reconstruction gain momentum.
China has strongly criticised French President Emmanuel Macron's remarks linking Ukraine and Taiwan, calling them a “double standard” and insisting the two issues are not comparable.
Magnus Carlsen suffered a shock defeat to China’s Wei Yi at Norway Chess 2025, just two days after beating world champion D Gukesh.
The European Commission voiced strong regret over the United States’ decision to raise tariffs on imported steel to 50%, warning the move adds uncertainty to the global economy.
Panic erupted on a Seoul subway train after a man allegedly set a fire onboard, prompting the evacuation of over 400 passengers through a tunnel and sending 21 people to hospital with minor injuries.
AnewZ takes to the streets of Yerevan and Baku to ask a simple yet deeply complex question: How do you see peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan? In the first part of our special report, we hear the hopes, doubts, and scars still shaping people’s perspectives on both sides.
On May 28, the inauguration ceremony of Lachin International Airport was held.
A car drove into crowds of Liverpool fans celebrating the club’s Premier League title in the city centre on Monday evening, injuring dozens including 4 children. A 53-year-old man believed to be the driver was arrested at the scene.
EU ministers have greenlit a massive €150 billion defense investment fund—dubbed the Security Action for Europe (SAFE)—as the bloc ramps up its military readiness in response to Russia’s aggression and growing uncertainty over U.S. security guarantees.
Brazil’s economy is expected to have regained momentum in the first quarter of 2025, driven by a surge in household spending and private investment, according to a Reuters poll of economists conducted from May 21–26.
A massive landslide in southern Switzerland this week buried the village of Blatten and blocked a river, creating a growing risk of flooding. Millions of cubic meters of ice, mud, and rock crashed down from a mountain on Wednesday, flooding the few buildings left in the village.
The Green Climate Fund (GCF)-backed project, “Strengthening Climate Resilience of Vulnerable Agricultural Livelihoods in Southern Iraq” (SRVALI), was officially launched on the sidelines of the 5th Baghdad International Water Conference.
A staggering 4 billion people—half of the world’s population—experienced at least 30 additional days of extreme heat over the past year due to human-induced climate change, a new international study revealed Friday.
The next five years are likely to be the warmest in recorded history, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), as rising global temperatures push the planet closer to surpassing key climate thresholds with wide-ranging consequences.
A seabird chick found with 778 plastic pieces inside its body on a remote island between Australia and New Zealand has become a powerful symbol of the global plastic pollution crisis. Scientists say the plastic has caused chronic illness and cognitive decline in the bird, raising urgent concerns abo
Saudi Arabia and Qatar will provide joint financial support for Syrian state employees, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan announced during a visit to Damascus, as regional efforts to support Syria’s reconstruction gain momentum.
China has strongly criticised French President Emmanuel Macron's remarks linking Ukraine and Taiwan, calling them a “double standard” and insisting the two issues are not comparable.
Magnus Carlsen suffered a shock defeat to China’s Wei Yi at Norway Chess 2025, just two days after beating world champion D Gukesh.
The European Commission voiced strong regret over the United States’ decision to raise tariffs on imported steel to 50%, warning the move adds uncertainty to the global economy.
Panic erupted on a Seoul subway train after a man allegedly set a fire onboard, prompting the evacuation of over 400 passengers through a tunnel and sending 21 people to hospital with minor injuries.
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