By Hellen Kahaso Dena*
The final round of negotiations for the Global Plastics Treaty (25 November-1 December) is underway in Busan, South Korea. Delegates from over 175 nations have gathered to craft a legally binding agreement on the life cycle of plastics.
NAIROBI, Kenya | 22 November 2024 (IDN) — Africa is drowning in plastics, a crisis intricately linked to the fossil fuel industry. Plastic pollution levels are critically high in some African countries. The Global Plastics Treaty, currently under negotiation in Busan, South Korea, is a crucial step in addressing this crisis. Though plastic pollution is a global environmental issue, Africa faces a particular challenge due to the high importation of plastic products, low reuse, and the scramble by the Global North to dump plastic waste onto the continent.
The plastic pollution crisis is one of the most visible symptoms of a broken system failing humanity and the planet.
World leaders gather in Busan, South Korea on 24 November, for the fifth and most critical Global Plastics Treaty negotiations round. This marks the final sprint towards developing a legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution through a comprehensive approach across the full life cycle of plastics, as set out by the UNEA Resolution 5/14 two years ago. Amidst the ever-widening political divide, there is still a chance for world leaders to prove that they are on the side of the people and the planet.
Plastic production and consumption have tremendously increased globally over the past decade, reaching unsustainable levels, necessitating the urgency of significant and collective efforts to address the key drivers of plastic pollution. This can only be achieved if we look at the entire life cycle of plastics, from extraction to production, use, and disposal.
Across Africa, communities bear a disproportionate burden of the plastics industry’s adverse health effects, stemming from petrochemical plants, waste incineration, landfills, contaminated water bodies and imported plastic waste.
Plastic production has a particularly harsh impact on low-income and marginalised communities. Yet, significant corporations disregard these consequences and evade their accountability.
With just over seven days of scheduled negotiation time left, the world is watching closely as leaders at the fifth Inter-governmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) race against time to deliver on the commitment to produce a legally binding global instrument to end plastic pollution—one that is ambitious, effective, and just. This is a rare and urgent opportunity to establish global rules to safeguard our planet, our health, and that of future generations.
However, the pertinent question remains: Will our leaders rise to the occasion or dance to the tune of fossil fuel lobbyists, as seen in previous INCs?
Plastics are a lifeline for the dying fossil fuel industry as the world transitions to renewable energy. The production of plastics, which is heavily reliant on fossil fuels, needs to be addressed now before it increases. From production to disposal, plastic pollution negatively impacts human rights. It accelerates social injustice and environmental degradation and aggravates inequalities brought about by the climate crisis.
Member states must not allow fossil fuel interests to drive the treaty negotiations and water down its ambition. Ending the corporate addiction to plastic is an important part of moving away from fossil fuels, combating climate change and pollution, and protecting communities.
World governments must find a way to move the negotiations forward without low-ambition countries and oil and gas producers dictating the terms of these talks. Member states must seize this opportunity to prioritise the most critical binding global rules and reject any detractors from slowing down progress.
World leaders must champion a treaty that will drastically cut plastic production and drive an equitable transition for workers and the health of the most affected communities across the plastic value chain. The treaty must be rooted in justice, human rights and fairness, one that provides alternative livelihoods for those dependent on the plastic industry. Anything short of that will be detrimental to humanity and the planet.
A waste management treaty cannot conceivably solve the plastic crisis faced by Africans. Globally binding production reduction targets are critical in achieving an ambitious treaty that will deal with runaway plastic pollution and ultimately fulfil the goal of the UNEA 5.2 resolution. Humanity cannot afford to waste this once-in-a-generation opportunity!
*Hellen Kahaso Dena is the project lead for the African Plastic Project. [IDN-InDepthNews]
Photo: Local people from Watamu, Kenya, work with Local Ocean Conservation to pick up plastic on the beach. Credit: UNEP/Cyril Villemain.
