001-40 WC 139 NOV-DEC24 PAPERTURN - Flipbook - Page 30
PLASTICS
C
a successful treaty by the end of 2024. These
negotiations aim to address plastic pollution
comprehensively, including measures to reduce plastic production, improve waste management, and protect human health and the
environment. While INC-5 is intended to be
the final negotiation session, the outcome of
INC-4 and the progress made in the intersessional period will significantly influence the
discussions and potential for reaching a final
agreement in Busan.
Some of the key demands of environmental organizations include:
A binding target on plastic production:
This would help to reduce the amount of
plastic that is produced and ultimately ends
up in the environment.
A reduction target for single-use plastics:
This would help to reduce the volume of single-use plastics that are used and discarded,
such as straws, bags, and bottles.
A recycling target: This would help to
ensure that more plastic is recycled and
reused, rather than ending up in landfills or
the environment.
Measures to prevent plastic pollution
from entering the environment: This would
include measures such as bans on plastic mi-
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Gordon Feller is a Global Fellow
at The Smithsonian Institution’s
Wilson Center. He has served as
Advisor at the UN’s HQ and, later,
at the World Bank HQ.
URRENT UN negotiations on
a future global plastics treaty, are
facing an uphill climb. In light of
the challenges, a growing list of
science-focused organizations are
calling for a strong and ambitious global
plastics treaty that addresses the full lifecycle
of plastic, from production to disposal. They
urge negotiators to reach a deal that includes
binding targets on plastic production,
reduction, and recycling; measures to
prevent plastic pollution from entering the
environment; and support for countries to
implement the treaty.
The next round of UN negotiations on the
global plastics treaty, known as INC-5 (the
Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee), convenes in November
2024 in Busan, South Korea. INC-5 will
be the fifth and final scheduled negotiation
session before the treaty is expected to be concluded. The goal is to finalize the text of the
legally binding instrument on plastic pollution
by the end of 2024, as mandated by the UN
Member States in 2022. This session follows
INC-4, held from April 23 to May 1, 2024, in
Ottawa.
INC-5 is seen as a crucial meeting to secure
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WATER C AN ADA • NOV EMBER/ DECEMBER 2024
WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
