UN plastic pollution treaty talks in disarray after countries reject draft text

Attempts to secure a landmark treaty combating plastic pollution descended into disarray on the penultimate day of talks on Aug 13 as dozens of countries rejected the latest draft text, leaving the talks in limbo.

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GENEVA -

With time running out to seal a deal among the 184 countries gathered at the United Nations in Geneva, several countries slammed a proposed compromise text put forward by talks chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso from Ecuador.

A larger bloc of countries seeking more ambitious actions blasted what they consider a dearth of legally binding action, saying the draft text was the lowest common denominator and would reduce the treaty to a toothless waste-management agreement.

But oil-producing states said the text went too far for their liking, crossing their red lines, too, and not doing enough in paring down the scope of the treaty.

The talks towards striking a legally binding instrument on tackling plastic pollution opened on Aug 5.

Five previous rounds of talks over the past 2½ years failed to seal an agreement, including a supposedly final round in South Korea in 2024.

But countries seem no closer to reaching a consensus on what to do about the ever-growing tide of plastic rubbish polluting land, sea and human health.