GENEVA. Negotiations to create the first legally binding global treaty on plastic pollution collapsed on Friday, leaving no clear path forward for nations to collectively address the mounting environmental crisis.
After 11 days of talks at the United Nations office in Geneva, delegates adjourned without agreement on whether the treaty should impose limits on plastic production or only focus on recycling, reuse, and waste management. “Consensus is dead,” said Bjorn Beeler, international coordinator of the International Pollutants Elimination Network.
The failure came despite growing alarm over the world’s production of more than 400 million tons of plastic each year, a figure projected to rise by 70% by 2040. Around 100 countries had pushed to cap production and address toxic chemicals used in plastics. However, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and other oil-producing nations opposed restrictions, arguing instead for improvements in recycling and waste collection.
Environmental groups, Indigenous leaders, and youth activists had urged stronger action, but their interventions were curtailed in the final hours at the request of the U.S. and Kuwait. Still, some delegates expressed cautious optimism that the draft text developed in Geneva could serve as a basis for future negotiations.
UN Environment Programme chief Inger Andersen acknowledged the setback but said “significant progress was made” and insisted that the process will continue. European Union officials said the outcome fell short of expectations, with many countries voicing disappointment.
The chair of the negotiating committee, Luis Vayas Valdivieso, presented two draft treaty texts but delegates from 184 nations could not agree to adopt either. He closed the session by striking a gavel made of recycled plastic bottle caps, symbolizing the scale of the problem.
Representatives from Norway, Australia, Tuvalu, and Madagascar voiced frustration at leaving without a deal. Greenpeace’s Graham Forbes urged nations to move beyond the demand for unanimous consensus and consider allowing decisions by vote.
The central dispute remains whether the treaty should curb plastic production itself or rely on downstream measures such as recycling. While Saudi Arabia and Kuwait said the latest draft lacked balance, European and Pacific island nations argued that only binding limits on production could address the crisis.
Delegates agreed to meet again at an unspecified future date. For now, the world’s plastic output continues to rise, filling landfills, polluting oceans, and washing up on beaches worldwide.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
