Nairobi, 19 April 2024 (TDI): Plastic pollution has left the world to tackle with the issue in numerous ways. Representatives from 174 countries are coming together for an important gathering in Ottawa, Canada, from the 23rd to the 29th of April.
The fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC 4) signifies an important moment in the pursuit of a comprehensive international agreement to fight plastic pollution.
Plastic pollution and INC 4
“Both people and the planet are suffering profoundly from the effects of plastic pollution,” reports Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, Executive Secretary of the INC.
Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, Executive Secretary of the INC 4 further reports that, “This negotiating session is pivotal. It is an opportunity to make significant progress for a robust agreement that would allow future generations to live in a world free of plastic pollution.”
Since the 1950s, 9.2 billion tons of plastic have been produced, of which a staggering 7 billion tons have become waste, taking over landfills and polluting lakes, rivers, the soil, and the ocean.
At the current rate, humanity now produces 430 million tons of plastic every year. Out of this, two-thirds are contained in short-lived products which turn into waste. Moreover, some of that plastic ends up in the food chain, where it can harm human health.
The main objective of the INC 4 is to bring forward a draft text for a global instrument that can adequately address the complete lifecycles of plastic, from production to disposal.
By highlighting the significance of sustainable design and waste management practices, delegates are incentivized to lower the aggravated production of plastic pollution and secure ecosystems for future generations.
Also Read: WEF endorses utilization of single-use plastics
Canada’s actions ahead of negotiations
Canadian Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, who will be hosting the talks in Ottawa beginning on the 23rd of April, reported in an interview with Climate Home that every government had “agreed collectively that we wanted an ambitious treaty to fight plastic pollution and to eliminate it by 2040.”
“Unfortunately, some countries seem to have forgotten that’s what we agreed upon (at the UNEA) almost two years ago. I’m going to make it my mission in life in the coming weeks to remind everyone that this is our collective agreement,” reports Canadian Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
He did not name which countries were backtracking. However, he did note that some of these countries “are in more of a hurry than others” to come to a deal. This is the reason why Canadian Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault reports, “Why you have a high ambition coalition.”
The coalition is aiming at a strong accord to eliminate plastic pollution. It incorporates large, developed countries except for the US and some developing nations.
Moreover, Canadian Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault was giving a speech at the latest UNEA in Nairobi, where some governments had tried to downplay anti-plastic language.
David Azoulay, from the Center for International Environmental Law, reported to Climate Home that “a number of countries” had tried to “get around or away” at this year’s UNEA, from the mandate to build a plastics treaty.
Negotiations on plastic pollution have come at a time when experts are calling for a growing plastic crisis.
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