EVOLUTION OF GLOBAL PLASTIC TREATY
- In March 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) committed to combating plastic pollution, including in marine ecosystems. To achieve this, it established Intergovernmental Negotiating Committees (INC) tasked with drafting a treaty by the end of 2024.
- Over two years, countries convened five times to reconcile differing perspectives on addressing plastic pollution. While many nations support recycling initiatives and banning specific plastics, such as India's 2022 prohibition on single-use plastics, they remain hesitant to curb overall plastic production. This resistance stems from the economic significance of plastic manufacturing in petro-states and countries with large polymer industries.
- Ahead of the most recent negotiation round in Busan, South Korea, INC-5 Chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso presented a draft "non-paper," summarizing nations' varied approaches to managing plastic production.
- However, negotiations highlighted a stark divide between countries that see plastic pollution as a waste management issue and those advocating for production cuts at the source. This gap remains unresolved
- The scale of plastic pollution is staggering. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), plastic waste production nearly tripled between 1970 and 1990 and surged significantly in the early 2000s, growing more in that decade than in the previous 40 years combined. Today, the world generates approximately 400 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, a figure projected to reach 1,100 million tonnes by 2050 if current trends persist.
- Single-use plastics have become increasingly prevalent, with 36% of all plastics used in packaging, of which 85% ends up in landfills or unmanaged waste. Nearly all single-use plastic items—98%—are derived from fossil fuels, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions that could consume 19% of the global carbon budget by 2040.
- Despite efforts, less than 10% of the seven billion tonnes of plastic waste ever produced has been recycled. Much of this waste is lost to the environment or exported for disposal, often burned or dumped.
- The financial loss from inefficient processing of plastic packaging waste is estimated at $80–$120 billion annually. Commonly discarded items include cigarette butts (containing microplastics), food wrappers, bottles, and grocery bags
- India has expressed reservations about proposals to regulate the production of primary plastic polymers, citing concerns about its developmental rights. At the INC negotiations, India's delegation, led by Naresh Pal Gangwar, emphasized its commitment to consensus-based decision-making under multilateral agreements.
- India highlighted its existing measures, such as banning 22 single-use plastic items and implementing an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regime to enforce recycling obligations for companies.
- However, India views restrictions on plastic production as trade barriers, given its economic reliance on virgin polymer production and exports, with major corporations like Reliance Industries heavily invested in this sector.
- India aligns with countries like China and Saudi Arabia in opposing stringent production cuts. While 85–100 countries supported measures to limit plastic production and set year-wise targets, India objected to voting mechanisms for advancing treaty negotiations, arguing that such processes could undermine equity and consensus
- United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on environmental topics. Decisions and resolutions taken by the member states at the assembly also define the work of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- INC-2 is the international community’s chance to set the stage for negotiations on the substance of a global deal to end plastic pollution to edge closer to protecting ecosystems, species and humanity from the grave impacts of the linear plastics economy
- UNEA was formed in 2012 to create an effective international environmental governance system. The INC is the body of member states of the UN that will be negotiating the treaty, since the treaty negotiation process is led by the member states.
- Every two years, 193 of its member states, businesses and civil societies come together to set priorities for global environmental policies, develop international environmental law, and agree on policies to address the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges.
- In 2017 at UNEA-3, countries agreed to open an ad-hoc open-ended expert group on marine litter and microplastics to study the global landscape of efforts to address plastic pollution
- Apart from the member states, there are nine major groups and stakeholders: Non-profits, women, workers and trade unions, the scientific community, farmers, indigenous communities, children and youth, local authorities, businesses and industry
- The major groups and stakeholders get to make joint interventions in the negotiations to put forward their concerns and suggestions
- They get two minutes to make their interventions. These organisations are the ones that feature in the list of accredited organisations of the UNEP
- Observer status is a privilege granted to non-members to allow them to participate in the organisation’s activities
- Accredited organisations can also be observers in such meetings. Observers are not allowed to make interventions during the process of the negotiations
- However, the observers are seen as agencies that can influence the priorities and decisions taken by certain member states
- The idea of a global plastic treaty was set in motion after India’s call for a global ban on single-use plastic at the UNEA 4 in 2019.
- In UNEA 5.2- a historic resolution was adopted to “End Plastic Pollution”, keeping in mind the entire life cycle of plastic, from the extraction of raw materials to the disposal of plastic waste
- The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change, Government of India, notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021. The country is taking steps to curb littered and unmanaged plastic waste pollution.
- Since July 1, 2022, India has banned the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of single-use plastic (SUP) items with low utility and high littering potential.
- India is a party to the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).In all, 124 nations are party to the UNEA, and India has signed a resolution to draw up an agreement in the future that will make it legally binding for signatories to address the full life cycle of plastics, from production to disposal.
8.Way Forward
A continuation of negotiations, referred to as “INC 5.2,” is anticipated next year to seek a resolution and finalize the treaty. If adopted, the treaty would pave the way for periodic Conferences of Parties (COP) similar to climate agreements. Historical precedents show that environmental treaties often take years to negotiate, ratify, and implement. For example, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) required multiple sessions over five years to finalize its instrument on marine biodiversity. Similarly, the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations may require extended discussions and adjustments before reaching a consensus
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Previous Year Questions: 1.Consider the following statements : (UPSC 2023) 1.In India, the Biodiversity Management Committees are key to the realization of the objectives of the Nagoya Protocol.
2.The Biodiversity Management Committees have important functions in determining access and benefit sharing, including the power to levy collection fees on the access of biological resources within its jurisdiction. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 Answer (c) The Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) are crucial for implementing the objectives of the Nagoya Protocol, which focuses on access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilization. Under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, BMCs are responsible for preparing People's Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) and ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, aligning with the protocol's goals. Statement 2:The BMCs play a significant role in Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanisms. They have the authority to determine and charge collection fees for accessing biological resources within their jurisdiction. This is in accordance with the guidelines under the Biological Diversity Act, which mandates fair benefit-sharing for local communities. Thus, both statements are correct, making the correct answer (c) Both 1 and 2 |
Source: DowntoEarth
